Brussels, 18/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - Two and a half years after it came into force, the EU timber regulation, the goal of which is to prevent the import into the EU of and the trade in timber and wood products from illegally felled trees, is still not being correctly applied in the member states, according to a European Commission report published on Thursday 18 February.
In June 2015, infringement proceedings were still on-going against four member states (Greece, Hungary, Romania and Spain). Furthermore, that the regulation does not cover certain major product groups - such as printed materials, chairs and musical instruments - merely adds to the poor application of this key piece of legislation in the fight against deforestation in developing countries.
The Commission believes that the core elements of the regulation do not need to be amended but its scope could be extended, and this is something it will seek to do.
Within the progress made, the Commission notes that EU operators have increasing applied due diligence measures to ensure the legality of their supply, that European consumers are more aware of the problem of illegal logging and that third country producers have been encouraged to develop systems to assess compliance with the requirements of the regulation.
WWF is pleased that the two major weaknesses, which it had long flagged up, have been acknowledged and it urges the Commission to include all wood products in the regulation.
“The European Commission now holds the key to lock the door on any illegal timber products entering or being traded within the EU market. This report clearly shows why, after more than two years, European citizens still run the risk of buying products made of illegal timber”, said Andreas Baumüller, head of Natural Resources at WWF's European Policy Office, in a press release. For all 28 member states to comply with the regulation, there have to be “appropriate checks on operators and effective penalties”, he stated.
In 2015, the Commission consulted stakeholders on the effectiveness of the regulation. Among the main concerns raised were the fact that the regulation had been implemented with significant delay in some member states, that there was a lack of resources for enforcing the regulation and that there was a need to expand the scope of the text. WWF claims that only 41% of wood products by value - imported and marketed in the EU - are covered by the regulation. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)