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As the worlds third biggest net wood product importer,
the By itself, however, the Actions include: |
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Consistent
policy statements and actions across
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An Inter-departmental Working Group on Illegal Logging, comprising DFID, Defra, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Forestry Commission (FC), H.M. Revenue and Customs and Cabinet Office, chaired by Ministers of DFID and Defra, meets regularly to co-ordinate programme actions. See DFIDs, Defras and FCOs websites for more information on Government policy on illegal logging. |
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The UK Government is committed to purchasing timber products that originate from legal and sustainable sources. A scoping study commissioned by Defra in 2002 provided recommendations for implementing this policy, including establishment of a Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) whose function is to provide qualified technical advice. In July 2005, the consulting firm, Proforest, was selected to operate the CPET. Its activities include assessment of evidence other than certification schemes identified as delivering legal and/or sustainable timber, and provision of information to government purchasers and suppliers on the Governments timber procurement requirements. For details see CPETs website. |
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A Forestry Group comprising departments from
Central Government and Devolved Administrations ( |
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Active promotion of new EU policy and legislation |
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The UK Government has been at the forefront in pressing for action again illegal logging and trade in illegal timber at the EU level. In May 2003, the European Commission published a proposed Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. This aims to tackle illegal logging and its associated trade by addressing development co-operation, trade in timber, public procurement, private sector initiatives, financing and investment safeguards, money laundering and conflict timber (more details ). |
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A key feature of the Action Plan is a proposal to negotiate voluntary partnership agreements with timber producing countries. These agreements would establish a licensing scheme, underpinned by a new EU import Regulation, which would empower border control authorities to deny access to EU markets for illegally harvested timber from partner countries. |
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The Regulation and its associated negotiating directives were adopted in December 2005, opening the way to start negotiations on Partnership Agreements with timber-producing countries.
Reports on existing national legislative options
to control trade in illegal timber for 5 Member States were discussed in
January 2006 and further input to the
Informal preparatory discussions leading to
negotiations are underway between |
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RIIA has provided specialist background research and assistance in support of these EU actions. This has included: - clarifying the relevance of WTO rules to the proposed voluntary partnership agreements (details) - holding a workshop on potential border control mechanisms (details) - commissioning a legal opinion on the applicability of the UK Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to the import of illegal timber into the UK - investigation into the impacts on international trade flows of implementing the licensing system, and other measures designed to exclude illegal timber - examining the role and capacity of UK Customs in implementing the proposed system of border controls on imports of illegal timber, including collecting and communicating relevant trade data - examining the feasibility of additional legislative options to counter trade in illegal timber other than the proposed FLEGT licensing scheme - examining the role of financing forest sector investments in causing illegal logging -
examining systems used by the private sector
to verify the legality of timber imported to |
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In September 2004, |
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In September 2004, Denmark and the Netherlands hosted a workshop to examine EU Member States policies concerning public procurement of legal and sustainable timber. Defra gave an update of the status of implementing the UK policy. |
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The NGO, FERN, has been engaged to facilitate informing stakeholders in selected EU Member States about the issues and potential solutions. - A seminar for Italian parliamentarians and other interested parties was held in November 2003. - A lawyer has been engaged to review international legislation relevant to controlling trade in stolen goods -
A critique of the proposed FLEGT licensing system and comments on the
associated draft Council Regulation on licensing of timber imports
into the European Community have been prepared. In July 2005 FERN was given a new grant to continue to assist civil society involvement in FLEGT preparations, in particular helping groups from prospective partner countries communicate their views. In January 2006 EIA was also awarded a grant to assist Indonesian civil society prepare views on FLEGT and communicated these to EU governments. |
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Support was provided for European industry
groups to travel to |
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In September 2004, the |
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Collaboration with other major timber trading countries |
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Discussions have been held with Japanese
officials, parliamentarians and NGOs on actions that |
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In January 2006, under the Indonesia-UK Memorandum
of Understanding on Illegal Logging, the Government of Indonesia hosted a
dialogue with Ambassadors of major timber importing countries posted in |
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DFID has contributed to a study
by the Japanese Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI)
on opportunities for measures that could be taken by |
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In October 2005, a dialogue was held with Chinese Government officials and NGOs in preparation for the ENA FLEG Ministerial conference. |
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Last updated 16 May 2006 |
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