ENVIRONMENT: EU’s Anti-Logging Plan Under Fire

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Stefania Bianchi

BRUSSELS, May 22 2003 (IPS) - The European Commission is coming under fire for its new action plan to combat illegal logging in the developing countries, the largest timber producers in the world.

The European Commission is coming under fire for its new action plan to combat illegal logging in the developing countries, the largest timber producers in the world.

The Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) is designed to curb growing trade in illicit logging and illegally harvested timber in wood-producing countries through a series of preventative measures.

Launching the initiative Wednesday, Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, called on wood-consuming countries, including those in the EU, to recognise the vital role they play in combating illegal timber trade.

"The European Commission is committed to combating illegal logging, by helping to improve law enforcement and governance in wood-producing countries, and by working to stop the trade in illegally harvested wood and wood products," said Nielson.

However, the non-governmental organisation ‘Forests and the European Union Resource Network’ (FERN) says the Action Plan puts EU trade interests before the rights of people dependant on forest resources.

"It is disgraceful that the EU will continue to launder illegal forest products and deprive producer governments of vital revenues, while deforestation and the abuse of forest peoples’ rights will continue unchallenged," said Chantal Marijnissen, FERN’s illegal logging campaigner.

"The Action Plan includes positive moves but the Commission’s failure to exclude illegal logs from the EU shows that trade interests are over-riding ethical concerns," Marijnissen added.

According to a report by FERN, presented to the Commission last year, approximately 50 per cent of imports of tropical timber and 20 per cent of timber from boreal trees into the EU are illegally sourced.

Europe’s imports of illegally sourced timber are believed to be worth 1.2 billion Euros (about 1.4 billion dollar) a year.

The Commission’s latest proposals aim to combat the trade by helping partner countries to build systems to check that timber has been harvested legally and addressing the problems posed by the use of revenues from illegal logging to fund and prolong armed conflicts.

Although FERN welcomes measures to prevent money laundering through illegal logging, it says that the EU must ensure that the practice is included in future reviews of money laundering legislation.

The FLEGT plan will also introduce a voluntary licensing scheme obliging countries issue a permit attesting to the legality of timber exported to the EU. But FERN wants that forest people and civil society should be obliged to participate in agreements affecting their land.

FERN also insists that the measures outlined in FLEGT should be followed by clear and determined action.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that as a result of this illegal trade, more than 12 hectares of natural forest are lost every year, affecting the world’s poorest people who depend on forest resources for a living.

The practice also deprives governments in these countries of vital revenues to spend on poverty reduction programmes. The World Bank estimates that between 10 and 15 billion dollars are lost annually due to illegal logging.

The FLEGT Plan is a result of on-going negotiations within the EU about the problem, which was outlined at the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development in August last year.

"Combating illegal logging and related trade is something we committed ourselves to at the World Summit of Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. The Action Plan is further evidence of our determination to move forward from words to deeds," commented Margot Wallstroem, European Commissioner for Environment.

Illegal logging is defined as timber being harvested, transported, bought or sold in violation of national laws. Illegalities may also occur during the transport of timber, including illegal processing and export, false declaration to customs, or avoidance of taxes and other charges.

Brazil currently has the biggest problem with the illegal trade. Approximately 80 per cent of logging there is believed to be illegal. Other hotspots are Indonesia (70 per cent), Cameroon and Russia (50 per cent) and Russia between 20 and 50 per cent.