The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) says key amendments made to draft European legislation on illegal timber now give hope that “sensible” regulation can be enacted.
TTF head of sustainability Rachel Butler said the dropping of a requirement for timber operators to label timber products (with information such as species, value and forest of origin) was welcome news.
Members of the European Parliament’s environmental committee voted 49-6 in favour of MEP Caroline Lucas’ draft due diligence report, designed to reduce illegally harvested wood entering the EU, on May 4. The proposals include the setting of mimimum standards for penalties, including criminal sanctions for those falling foul of the law.
The vote had been preceded by lobbying by the TTF, ConFor, Wood Panel Industries Federation and British Woodworking Federation via a joint statement, which was also endorsed by European timber trade federations.
In addition to the labelling change, amendments passed include full due diligence requirements only for the first operators who place timber and wood products on the market, with companies further down in the supply chain required to provide only basic information.
The applicable legislation has also been enlarged to cover requirements regarding biodiversity conservation and forest management.
For Caroline Lucas, the vote was one of her last actions as an MEP, as she was elected as member of parliament for Brighton Pavilion at the UK election.
A full session of the European Parliament will take a vote on the proposals on July 6, before the European Council will again debate the proposals.
