31/01/2006 - Brussels,
Belgium - A UK government-funded study published
today says that an EU ban on illegal timber
imports is a credible option, confirming
NGO and independent legal opinion. The position
of Environmental groups Greenpeace and WWF
is that the EU must exclude illegal timber
from the European market and set up effective
controls to ensure legal and sustainable
wood supply. “We welcome the study for its
serious examination of legal options that
could control the trade in illegal timber,”
said Sebastien Risso of Greenpeace European
Unit.“It is unacceptable that responsible
traders and forest-managers who ensure their
timber is legal and sustainably harvested
are currently penalised, while timber barons
who plunder national parks and rainforests
are free to trade with impunity,”
The new study, which was produced by Chatham
House (formerly the Royal Institute for
International Affairs), assesses existing
legislation in four EU countries (1) that
could already be used to tackle the trade
in illegal timber imports, and examines
additional legislative options. It suggests
that enforcing national laws, such as those
aimed at combating money laundering, could
help tackle the problem, and that an EU
law, such as a ban on unlicensed timber,
could contribute to cleaning the market
of illegal products.
“Thus far, action by the Commission and
Member States to address the trade in illegal
timber is not enough to prevent illegal,
much less unsustainable, wood products from
entering the EU,” added Risso (2). “Ensuring
the legal origin of timber and wood products
should be a pre-condition for sale in Europe,
not a long-term goal. Anything less should
be outlawed.”
“The Barroso Commission has so far failed
to deliver on its commitment made over three
years ago to investigate legislative options
to deal with imports of illegal timber,”
said Beatrix Richards of WWF. Without this,
it will be impossible to conserve forests
to protect the global climate system, tackle
poverty and end biodiversity loss.”
“Effective controls need to be put in place
to reduce the EU footprint on the world’s
remaining natural forests and to ensure
that the real costs of producing legal and
sustainable timber are no longer undercut
by illegal and destructive practices” said
Richards, “EU Member states and the Commission
need to stop passing the buck and decide
once and for all to legislate.”
NOTES
• Of an estimated €10-15 billion lost through
illegal logging globally each year, the
EU is responsible for almost €3 billion,
from six key timber-producing regions. Of
the 20 EU member states currently believed
to be importing illegal timber, the top
three are Finland, Sweden and the UK. See
WWF Report (Hewitt, J) “Failing the forests
– Europe’s illegal timber trade”
• (1) UK, the Netherlands, Italy and Estonia
• (2) Action to date has been to adopt
an EU Regulation which lays down the framework
for a timber licensing scheme and for voluntary
partnership agreements with timber-producing
countries. See Greenpeace Briefing, “Lawless:
How Europe's borders remain open to trade
in illegal timber". Also EAC Committee
report “Sustainable Timber” House of Commons,
2006, Vol1.
