Brabant Brussels, Belgium - On 7 July MEPs approved a new regulation to ban illegally-harvested timber. Covering the whole timber supply chain from logging sites to European consumers, the law aims to guarantee legally-sourced products access to EU markets while halting deforestation in third countries.
"EU legislation to ban the sale of illegally-sourced timber represents a major international breakthrough, from the forests around the world that are ravaged by illegal logging to the EU market where timber and wood products are sold," said MEP Satu Hassi (Finland, Greens/EFA), who represented the Parliament in the final negotiations.
Currently around a fifth of all timber and related products, like furniture, is suspected to come from illegal sources.
When the legislation enters into force in late 2012, the operator who first places timber or a timber product on the EU market will have to trace its origins or face sanctions. All subsequent sellers will then have to declare who they bought the timber from and who they sold it to in order to ensure that the legality of the wood can be traced at any point in the supply chain.
European Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said the Parliament vote brought the EU closer to preventing the sale of illegal timber. "The impacts of illegal logging go beyond environmental protection, with potentially negative effects on the rule of law and the livelihoods of local people who depend on forests for many products and services," he said, adding that the EU decision will send a signal to the world that Europe, "will no longer serve as a market for illegally harvested timber".
