PEFC approval of the Swiss scheme was suspended in November 2005 for non-compliance with three of its requirements: the adoption of its chain of custody rules, provision of a publically available report summary of certification results and use of information from external parties as evidence of the certification process.

Subsequently the Q-label reviewed its rules and replaced its own system with the PEFC International chain of custody standard resulting in companies in the scheme having to be re-certified. As a result, the PEFC once more allowed Q-label approved businesses to use the PEFC logo.

“We’re delighted that the Swiss system has made the necessary changes and that we are able to reinstate it has a fully endorsed system,” said PEFC Council Secretary General Ben Gunneberg.

The PEFC has gone into less detail on its reasons for not immediately re-endorsing the Austrian scheme, saying only that during recent re-assessment it identified some “remaining issues”.

&#8220PEFC Austria will make all the necessary amendments to the Austrian system in its continued revision process in the coming weeks and months”

Dietmar Hagauer, secretary general PEFC Austria.

The PEFC board has limited the current endorsement of the Austrian scheme to November 30 this year. After that. no certification or re-certification will take place until the scheme is fully re-endorsed. However, both the board and PEFC Austria are confident they can make the changes before the deadline.

“The board’s decision allows adequate time for stakeholders in Austria to make the necessary amendments to the system at national level and for the re-endorsement process to be completed at international level,” said Mr Gunneberg. “The decision, of course, has no implications for the validity of the [existing] Austrian PEFC Chain of Custody certificates which are all issued against the international PEFC standard.”

“PEFC Austria will make all the necessary amendments to the Austrian system in its continued revision process in the coming weeks and months,” said Dietmar Hagauer, secretary general PEFC Austria.