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EU to ban Lao's illegal wooden products
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| Meeting on improving the understanding of the Lao business community and relevant stakeholders on the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) approach, Vientiane, September, 13, 2010 |
Lao operators exporting timber and wooden products to the European Union market are going to face difficulties, after the EU’s disclosure to issue new legislations involving a ban on illegally harvested timber.
The Delegation of European Union in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce held a meeting on 13 September in Vientiane to improve the understanding of the Lao business community and other relevant stakeholders on the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) approach.
Yesterday’s meeting is part of EU’s efforts to concern the European Parliament in July 2010 voted in support of the EU timber legislation that would ban the sale of illegal timber products in its market. It is expected that the next and final step would be the adoption by the EU Council of Ministers before the end of 2010.
This means that as of early 2013, operators will have to provide clear evidence that the wood or wooden products first placed on the EU market have legal origin and wood is harvested in accordance with the legislation of the country of harvest. Thus European consumers will then have certainty that wood and wooden products are of a legal origin. This legislation is the latest measure of the EU FLEGT Action Plan which was adopted in 2003.
Enforcing EU’s new forest law is sending negative-positive impacts on least developed and developing countries especially Laos, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. It used to rely on exporting timber overseas by expectation to get more income sources for its national development, according to the government officials.
In 2008, Laos exported wooden products worth 1 million euros to EU market. Meanwhile EU’s new forest law is expected to decrease the volume of importing illegal wooden products.
“The EU Timber Regulation is a pragmatic illustration of the importance the European Union attached to environment preservation and more generally sustainable development when it comes to trade relations.
It is timely for all Lao stakeholders of the forest/timber chain to anticipate and adapt to the market changes that are triggered by consumers’ demands and evolving legislation, at EU level and in other countries as well.
The meeting on workshop will also offer some perspectives of the type of assistance the EU is ready to offer in order to help the Lao PDR prepare for this new legislation” said Dr Stefan Lock, the Charge d’Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union to Laos.
As a support mechanism, the European Union has granted Euro 6 million for the EU-ASIA FLEGT regional programme from which Laos can also benefit, for activities related to improving forest governance and facilitating trade in legal timber over the next 3 years, covering communications and awareness-raising, support for Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA).
A news source quoted EU’s report recently says that deforestation is occurring at a rate of approximately 13 million hectares per year and is responsible for nearly 20 per cent of global carbon emissions. Illegal logging is a “major driver” of deforestation, with the volume of industrial wood from illegal sources estimated at 350 to 650 million cubic metres per year.
KPL Lao News Agency
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