In 2003, as part of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, an ‘Action Plan’ was proposed comprising a "package of measures to support international efforts to tackle illegal logging and trade in the context of overall efforts to achieve sustainable forest management".’
The anti-illegal timber EUTR is one of that "package of measures", intended to underpin the drive to sustainable forest management and trade. So what is its value so far?
Clearly it has got business engaged in how best to prevent illegal timber from entering the European market, and many are acting. We also have a UK enforcement agency in the National Measurement Office that is engaging business to evaluate how most effectively to enforce the Regulation and achieve compliance.
However, although the law came in last March, some EU states have still not developed a framework for proper EUTR enforcement. This includes the determination of penalties and sanctions, as well as approval mechanisms to ensure control and prosecution of noncompliance. Without proper implementation, and resourcing for enforcement across Europe, the law risks becoming meaningless in all but a few places. This is perhaps the most critical issue we now face.
But is the EUTR itself in good shape? We expected comprehensive coverage of timber and timber products, with very limited and obvious exceptions, like recycled material. Current lack of inclusion of some main product groups, which come into our market in large volumes, is counter-productive. It means some businesses have to act, others don’t, even if their products need to be just as thoroughly scrutinised for the EUTR to achieve its aim. It doesn’t make sense. So next year’s review of the Regulation must be the opportunity we take to change this.
More also needs to be done to raise awareness about the EUTR and its obligations among the wider EU business community. Who will help do this work, to build understanding and momentum, and tighten up our market boundaries? The WWF sponsored the PAS 2021 guidance, which is now additionally translated into Vietnamese and Chinese. Take-up has been good – but no doubt we and others could do more to leverage networks and contacts, and reach further and wider. Businesses won’t comply if they don’t know their obligations, or how to meet them.
There’s probably more detail to discuss about how the EUTR should be efficiently and effectively implemented. But let’s focus on what the future should hold beyond the 2015 review.
WWF’s Living Forests report forecasts that global demand for wood for fuel, timber and paper will treble by 2050, putting forests under pressure like never before. And a glance at the media will show that nature is already feeling the consequences of ever-increasing consumption. So are many of the poorest people. The key challenge will be how to supply more wood-based products with less impact on ecosystems and with more equitable, inclusive economies. Our own markets and success depend on building this future sustainable forest resource base.
Putting EUTR into perspective, we need to consolidate legal markets across Europe – and quickly. Policy, business and development agendas need to explore how the Regulation – or going back to the FLEGT action plan term – additional measures, can then evolve to help improve forest stewardship worldwide, through both production and consumption action. This is the really big task ahead, for which effective EUTR implementation by government and business should be preparing us. As the Action Plan originally said, the ultimate goal is sustainable forest management.
