A baseline assessment is a focused analysis – carried out in two to three weeks – that maps three things:
1. Your exact EUDR scope. Which products, commodities and suppliers fall under the regulation? And what role do you have – are you an operator placing products on the EU market for the first time, a downstream operator working further along the chain, or a trader? Establishing your role is essential: it directly determines whether you must carry out due diligence yourself or whether you depend on information from the chain.
2. Your starting position. Which certifications, supplier data and geolocation data do you already hold? What is usable, what is incomplete, and what does not yet exist? In practice, EUDR-relevant information is often scattered across procurement, sustainability, legal and operations and that is precisely where delays arise. The baseline assessment brings together all the information and assesses its usability in light of the requirements.
3. A prioritised action list. Not everything is equally urgent. Collecting geolocation data from suppliers in risk areas takes considerably longer than adapting internal documentation processes. The baseline assessment produces a prioritised list of actions, linked to a realistic timeline towards 30 December 2026.
The end result is a clear implementation plan: what needs to be in place by when, who bears internal responsibility, and where external support is worthwhile.
