Action Plan to combat illegal logging and trade in illegal timber

The European Commission today unveiled an Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) to combat the growing problem of illegal logging and the related trade in illegally harvested timber. Measures set out in this Plan include support for improved governance in wood-producing countries, voluntary partnerships with wood-producing countries to ensure only legally harvested timber enters the EU market, and efforts to develop international collaboration to combat the trade in illegally harvested timber.

Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, called on wood-consuming countries to recognise the vital role they must play in closing down the international trade in illegal timber. He said: "The European Commission is committed to combating illegal logging, by helping to improve law enforcement and governance in wood-producing countries, and by working to stop the trade in illegally harvested wood and wood products."

Margot Wallström, European Commissioner for Environment, said: "Combating illegal logging and related trade is something we committed ourselves to at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. This Action Plan is further evidence of our determination to move from words to deeds."

Illegal logging and the international trade in illegal timber are prominent among factors driving the rapid loss of global forests. This rapid destruction adversely affects many of the world's poorest people, who depend on forest resources for a living. Illegal logging fuels corruption and undermines the rule of law in many wood-producing countries. It also deprives governments of vital revenues to spend on poverty reduction programmes. The World Bank estimates that developing country governments are currently losing some US$10-15 billion annually due to illegal logging.

To combat illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber the European Commission proposes actions around the following themes:

• Helping partner countries to build systems to verify timber has been harvested legally.
  
  
• Initiate a voluntary licensing scheme, where partner countries issue a permit attesting to the legality of timber exported to the EU.
  
  
• A public procurement policy where contracting authorities will be guided on how to deal with legality when specifying timber in procurement procedures.
  
  
• Measures to prevent investment in activities that encourage illegal logging.
  
  
• Encourage private sector initiatives for good practice in the forest sector, including the use of voluntary codes of conduct to source only legal timber.
  
  
• Address the problems posed by use of revenues from illegally harvested timber to fund and prolong armed conflicts.

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• Commissioner Nielson's Speech on illegal logging (25/10/2002)
• EU stresses commitment to combat illegal logging at WSSD (31/8/2002)