Brussels, 18/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 19 March, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica will make the closing speech at the international conference currently under way in Brussels (16-19 March) to address the progress and challenges of fighting illegal logging and timber imports.
Organised by the European Commission, this conference brings together representatives from government, industry and civil society in the EU countries and the timber-producing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The results of the conference will feed into the evaluation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade action plan (FLEGT), which was adopted by the EU in 2003.
The external evaluation exercise was launched in July 2014 and focuses on implementation of the FLEGT action plan over the 2004-2014 period. The evaluation will pay particular attention to the voluntary partnership agreements (VPAs) concluded between the EU and many timber-producing countries (such as Indonesia, Ghana, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Liberia and the Central African Republic) to fight jointly against deforestation in the interests of sustainable forestry for the benefit of the local communities that depend on it (see EUROPE 11228). The VPAs aim to ensure that only legally felled timber and timber products can be exported to the European market. The stakes are high because the EU is the primary market for these products.
A new European regulation entered into force on 3 March 2013 banning the sale of illegally felled timber in disregard for the legislation of the country of origin. (Aminata Niang)