(-1)

Recital 68 is replaced by the following:

(68)

Furthermore, the Commission should assess the deforestation and forest degradation risk at the level of a country or parts thereof based on a range of criteria that reflect quantitative, objective and internationally recognised data, and indications that the countries are actively engaged in fighting deforestation and forest degradation. Such benchmarking information should make it easier for operators in the Union to exercise due diligence and for competent authorities to monitor and enforce compliance, while also providing an incentive for producer countries to increase the sustainability of their agricultural production systems and reduce their deforestation impact. This should help to make supply chains more transparent and sustainable. The benchmarking system should be based on a three -tier system for classification of countries as low, standard or high risk. In order to ensure appropriate transparency and clarity, the Commission should in particular make publicly available the data being used for benchmarking, the reasons for the proposed change of classification and the reply of the country concerned. For relevant products from low-risk countries or parts thereof operators should be allowed to exercise simplified due diligence. For relevant products from high-risk countries or parts thereof competent authorities should be required to apply enhanced scrutiny. The Commission should be empowered to adopt implementing acts to establish the list of countries or parts thereof that present a low or high risk.

(-1a)

Recital 86 is replaced by the following:

(86)

Operators, traders and competent authorities should be given a reasonable period in order to prepare themselves to meet the requirements of this Regulation.

(-1b)

in Article 3, the introductory part is replaced by the following:

‘ 1.

Relevant commodities and relevant products from countries or parts thereof, that present a low, standard or high risk in accordance with Article 29 shall not be placed or made available on the market or exported, unless all the following conditions are fulfilled:’

(-1c)

in Article 3, the following paragraph is added:

(a)

they have been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production; and

(b)

they fulfil the documentation requirements laid down in Article 5(1a).’

(-1d)

in Article 4, the following paragraph is added:

(-1e)

in Article 5, the following paragraph is inserted:

(a)

trade name and type of the relevant products;

(b)

the quantity of the relevant products;

(c)

the country of production and, where relevant, parts thereof;

(d)

the name, postal address and email address of any business or person from whom they have been supplied with the relevant products;

(e)

the name, postal address and email address of any business, operator or trader to whom the relevant products have been supplied;

(f)

adequately conclusive and verifiable information that the relevant products are free of forest degradation;

(g)

adequately conclusive and verifiable information that the relevant commodities have been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production.’

(-1f)

in Article 16, the following paragraph is inserted:

(-1g)

in Article 29, paragraph 1 is replaced by the following:

(a)

‘high risk’ refers to countries or parts thereof, for which the assessment referred to in paragraph 3 results in the identification of a high risk of producing in such countries or in parts thereof, relevant commodities for which the relevant products do not comply with Article 3, point (a);

(a)

‘high risk’ refers to countries or parts thereof, for which the assessment referred to in paragraph 3 results in the identification of a high risk of producing in such countries or in parts thereof, relevant commodities for which the relevant products do not comply with Article 3, point (a);

(b)

‘low risk’ refers to countries or parts thereof, for which the assessment referred to in paragraph 3 concludes that there is sufficient assurance that instances of producing in such countries or in parts thereof, relevant commodities for which the relevant products do not comply with Article 3, point (a), are exceptional;

(b)

‘low risk’ refers to countries or parts thereof, for which the assessment referred to in paragraph 3 concludes that there is sufficient assurance that instances of producing in such countries or in parts thereof, relevant commodities for which the relevant products do not comply with Article 3, point (a), are exceptional;

(c)

‘standard risk’ refers to countries or parts thereof which do not fall in either the category ‘high risk’ or the category ‘low risk.

(c)

‘standard risk’ refers to countries or parts thereof which do not fall in either the category ‘high risk’ , ‘low risk’ or the category ‘no risk;

(ca)

“no risk” refers to countries or parts thereof that meet the following assessment criteria:

(i)

forest area development has remained stable or has increased compared to 1990;

(ii)

the Paris Agreement and international conventions on human rights and on preventing deforestation have been signed by those countries and parts thereof;

(iii)

regulations on preventing deforestation and forest conservation at national level are strictly implemented and enforced in full transparency and monitored.’