September 10 is the day when the European Commission (EC) will take a decision on whether to introduce legislation to outlaw the import of illegal timber.
An EC spokesperson said the meeting had initially been scheduled for July 23 but was postponed.
The EC has been debating “additional options” to the EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade as a way of removing the competitive advantage of illegal products entering the European market.
Greenpeace is strongly backing legislation to curb illegal wood entering Europe and claims more than 65,000 of its supporters have sent letters to the EU president urging him to enact a law.
Defra believes EU-wide powers would be more effective to tackle the issue than one country acting alone. However, it said the UK would enact legislation if Europe decided not to press ahead with new laws.
