Fighting illegal logging: Obligation or opportunity
Over 180 participants gathered in the European Parliament on 10th December to discuss the importance of protecting forests as well as effectively controlling the commerce and imports of illegal timber into the EU. The seminar with above title was organised by Véronique Mathieu, MEP (EPP-ED) and representatives of the European forest-sector – CEPI and CEPF.
The event served as follow up for the communication on a draft regulation on placing of timber and timber products on the market, announced by the Commission in October. The proposal intends to minimize the risk of illegally harvested timber being sold in
Europe. It may also, however, have a significant impact on the internal European market. Thus, the European forest owners’ organizations are joining forces to ensure that adequate measures will be put in place while at the same time avoiding unnecessary burden on the owners.
Foreseeing an extra pressure for forest owners, with financial consequences as well as difficulties to comply with a system of “due diligence”, CEPF proposed a number of amendments in order to make this regulation:
- efficient without harming legal operators and
- easy to implement with sufficient resources
As a single forest owner cannot build a risk management procedure, CEPF called for proportional measures, also in terms of high and low risk countries. Approval of national legality schemes and better utilization of existing legislation as well as international processes (such as FLEGT, ENAFLEG) were recommended instead of harmonized measures in EU.
As deforestation is mainly driven by agriculture in the developing countries, focus on proof of legality without targeting the complexity of poor governance, corruption, and poverty would not solve a problem. Nonetheless, this regulation can hugely affect a number of European forest owners, as they place the majority of wood on the market. The import of tropical logs accounts for only 0,2 % of EU consumption.
Presenting the views of the private forest owners, Morten Thorøe, CEPF Secretary General raised also the question on why the European forest sector must proof legality while any other sector is considered legal until proven otherwise.
A major concern shared by environmental NGO’s and CEPF alike was whether the proposal would stop illegal logging and deforestation.
Further information, Morten Thorøe at morten.thoroe@cepf-eu.org
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