Brussels, 20/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission adopted a communication recommending a raft of measures to fight the problem of illegal logging and the related problem of trade in illegal wood. This communication was accompanied by a proposed Council decision to establish a voluntary licence system (FLEGT, Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade) for imports of wood to the EU. Under the provision proposed, only wood from countries belonging to the licensing system guaranteeing the correct management of forests in developing countries will be allowed into the EU.
The instigator of the project, the European Commissioner for development, Poul Nielson, believes that only by establishing a close partnership with the wood-producing countries can the EU hope to be able to encourage legal logging, which contributes to the economic and social development of these countries. The mechanism prepared by the Commission is based on two priorities: setting up voluntary partnerships with wood-producing countries hit by illegal logging, to support and encourage reform of the governance of their forestry sector; -creating a regulation bringing in a legally binding authorisation regime with the partner countries, in order to guarantee that only wood of legal origin from these countries can enter the EU territory.
Illegal logging and trade in illegal wood cause considerable damage to the environment in developing and transition countries. In a press release, the Commission stresses that these practices are closely linked to corruption and bad management of public affairs, and cause lost profits estimated between 10 and 15 billion EUR a year to the developing countries in question. Furthermore, they impoverish rural communities in developing countries which depend on forestry products for their subsistence. At the world summit for sustainable development, which took place in Johannesburg, the EU committed to work together with the wood-producing countries to put an end to illegal logging and trade in illegal wood. The measures which have just been adopted to fight illegal logging follow on from the commitment taken a long time ago by the European Commission in favour of the sustainable management and conservation of the world's forests. Over the last decade, the EU has allocated over 650 million EUR on safeguarding forests and sustainable management in Asia, central Africa and South America.