On Tuesday 14 February, MEPs gave their approval for the EU to conclude the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with Guyana. They adopted the draft recommendation by Karin Karlsbro (Renew Europe, Swedish) and her resolution.
The VPA should ensure the legality of timber cut in Guyana and exported to the EU. It allows the country to issue FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licences that certify that timber has been harvested, processed and exported in accordance with that country’s laws.
In the adopted resolution, the European Parliament “calls on the Commission and the EU Delegation to Guyana to provide sufficient capacity building, logistical and technical support under current and future development cooperation instruments to enable Guyana to meet its VPA commitments”.
MEPs also stress that “new voluntary partnership agreements with other partners should be promoted”. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)