EU Deforestation Regulation – EU declares Laos “low risk”
The European Union has announced its classification of countries around the world for the purposes of implementing its EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) ahead of its application at the end of 2025. This benchmarking system, adopted by the European Commission on 22 May 2025, classifies all countries as being of low, standard or high risk when it comes to deforestation.
The benchmarking exercise evaluated countries based on the risk of deforestation associated with the production of the seven commodities covered by the EUDR (cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soya, and wood). The classification will guide companies in ensuring effective monitoring and enforcement of the regulation to ensure that these products, when sold in the EU, do not come from recently deforested land. It is also designed to incentivise countries to adopt more sustainable agricultural practices and reduce their impact on deforestation and forest degradation.
Lao PDR has been classified as a low-risk country. As a result, while imports of EUDR-covered commodities from Laos will still be subject to EUDR requirements (i.e. being sourced from land not subject to deforestation or forest degradation after 31 December 2020), they will be subject to reduced levels of scrutiny compared to imports from standard or high-risk countries.
Ambassador of the European Union to Lao PDR, Mr. Mark Gallagher said, “This is good news for Laos and for Lao producers exporting coffee, wood or rubber to Europe. Imports from Laos will face the lowest level of compliance checks globally, when entering the EU. This comes as recognition of the efforts made by Laos to combat deforestation.” Ambassador added, “We now look forward to launching negotiations on an EU-Lao PDR Forest Partnership and enhancing the sustainability of the coffee and wood value chains in which we are investing here.”
The EUDR is designed to reduce the EU’s global impact on deforestation and forest degradation, while supporting efforts to preserve forests, protect biodiversity, and combat the climate crisis, ensuring a healthier planet for future generations.
In June 2023, the EUDR entered into force, requiring that agricultural products imported to and exported from the EU market do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation. In the Lao context, this means that the entire outputs of certain commodities such as coffee, timber and rubber must be traceable at farm level.
About the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR):
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) marks a turning point in the global fight against deforestation and forest degradation by addressing both legal and illegal deforestation. Covering seven commodities (rubber, wood, cattle, palm oil, soya, coffee and cocoa) produced in the EU or abroad, it creates due diligence and strict traceability obligations for companies to clean their supply chains from products associated with deforestation and forest degradation.
To discover about the EUDR:
About EUDR Benchmarking: