EU opens doors to #Indonesia licensing scheme for exports of verified legal timber

The Commission has amended the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Regulation (FLEGT) to recognize Indonesia’s licensing scheme for exports of verified legal timber to the EU.

The delegated regulation amends the FLEGT Regulation to include Indonesia and its Licensing Information Unit under the list of ‘Partner countries and their designated licensing authorities’. It now also includes Indonesian products covered by the FLEGT licensing scheme in the list of ‘Timber products to which the FLEGT licensing scheme applies only in relation to the corresponding partner countries’.

The delegated regulation will enter into application on 15 November, making this the earliest date that Indonesia could begin to issue FLEGT licences. The EU-Indonesia Joint Implementation Committee will announce the date for FLEGT licensing to begin when it meets on 15 September. Illegal logging is a global problem with significant negative economic, environmental and social impact.

The FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement has strengthened forest governance in Indonesia by increasing transparency, accountability and stakeholder participation in decisions about forests. In 2002, just 20% of Indonesia’s timber was legal. Today, over 90% of Indonesia’s timber exports are from independently audited factories and forests.One third of the EU's tropical timber imports by value come from Indonesia. The EU buys 11% of timber products and paper exported from there.

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