A 120,000 signatory petition asking European policymakers to end the trade in illegally-logged wood products has been presented at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The Friends of the Earth petition was presented before MEPs took their seats at the plenary session of the European Parliament (July 5-8) to debate draft regulation to help fight illegal timber imports to the Europe.
The environmental group called on MEPs to ensure clear obligations for all timber operators and impose a minimum level of sanctions and penalties on offenders.
Recent informal negotiations between the European Parliament and European Council agreed on the prohibition of illegal timber in the European market – likely to be rubber-stamped in the European Parliament meeting.
A further debate by the European Council will follow, with the regulation expected to become law by the end of 2012.
