The European Commission has today announced legislative plans to reduce the risk of illegal timber entering the EU.
The news, unveiled at a press conference in Brussels, is a major development in the international trade of timber.
“Developed and developing nations must unite to protect the world’s remaining forests,” said environment commissioner Stavros Dimas.
“We must also send a firm message to timber suppliers that illegal timber or timber products will not be tolerated on the EU market.”
He said about 19% of timber imports into the EU was thought to come from illegal sources.
The commission said its proposed regulation would make it an obligation for traders to seek sufficient guarantees that the timber and wood products they sell have been harvested according to the relevant laws of the country of origin.
“This will send a strong message to operators wanting to access the EU market,” said Mr Dimas. “The proposal will increase incentives for legal and sustainable management and use of forests, especially in developing countries that are interested in maintaining and enhancing their export of forest products to the EU.”
Further details of the proposal, which will need approval from the European Parliament and European Council, are not available yet.
Mr Dimas also unveiled proposals to tackle tropical deforestation, with a commitment of halting global forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest and reducing gross tropical deforestation by at least 50% by 2020.
A Global Forest Carbon Mechanism will be developed, with a major part of funding to finance the fight against forests loss potentially coming from the EU Emissions Trading System, with a potential €1.5-2.5bn of funding being made available in 2020.
