The European Commission (EC) has brought in effect new
measures to prohibit illegally harvested timber and timber products from being
placed on the EU market. The new EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force
yesterday.
According to EUTR, EU operators selling timber and timber
products will have to ensure that the timber has been harvested according to
the relevant laws of the country of harvest. To ensure the legality of the
wood, the operators must apply the so-called "due diligence"
mechanism. This involves providing information on the supply of timber products, including description of species, volume, country of harvest, the supplyer's name and address as well as evidence of compliance with applicable legislation. The system also requires risk assessment of the supply and, where high risk is identified, mitigation to eliminate any potentially illegal timber.
Traders along the supply chain within the EU will be obliged to keep records of all operators through to the end-user.
The EU member states are responsible for applying sanctions to operators who break the rules. Timber products from countries that have entered into Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) voluntary partnership agreements with the EU are considered to be in compliance with the new regulation.
