OO. 14.1 Support efforts of developing countries to combat illegal logging and associated illegal trade

A first step in contributing to SFM is to help developing countries restrict and impede illegal logging activities.

Illegal logging and its associated trade not only threaten biodiversity in timber-producing countries (through overexploitation, depletion of scarce natural resources, destruction of ecosystems, etc.) but also have serious economic and social consequences (loss of revenue for local governments, corruption, impoverishment of rural communities that depend on forest products, etc.).

Belgium will consider support for regional intergovernmental initiatives to combat illegal logging, such as the Africa Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (AFLEG) or the Europe and North Asia Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (ENAFLEG).

In 2003, the EU adopted an Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) to combat illegal logging and associated illegal trade. This plan emphasises governance reform and capacity-building in producer countries to control illegal logging. The plan also underlines demand-side measures to reduce the consumption of illegal timber within the EU.

Belgium will actively support the implementation of the FLEGT action plan. This can be done for example through the development of public procurement policies to promote legally produced timber products, the inclusion of the issue of illegal logging in bilateral aid for forestry projects, the analysis of possibilities to apply national legislation (such as money-laundering) to prosecute crimes related to illegal logging, the promotion of private-sector initiatives that encourage companies to use voluntary codes of conducts for the legal harvesting and purchasing of timber, etc.

The FLEGT Action Plan also provides the development of Voluntary Partnership Agreements between the EU and timber-producing countries. The aim of these agreements is to set up a licensing scheme in partner countries in order to ensure that only legally produced timber (identified by means of licenses issued in producer countries) is exported to the EU. Work is actually currently ongoing to develop a regulation to enable EU customs authorities to exclude illegal timber.

Belgium should support this initiative on the ground by initiating projects in timber-producing countries to prepare for the establishment of voluntary partnership agreements. Furthermore, Belgium should support efforts at EU level to complement the voluntary approach by exploring options to develop legislation to control imports of illegally harvested timber into the EU.