Brussels seeks bar on illegal timber

By Joshua Chaffin in Brussels
Published: October 18 2008 01:52

Europe’s timber suppliers will have to seek guarantees that their products have been legally harvested, under measures proposed by the European Commission to curb deforestation and reduce greenhouse gases.
European officials say that about a fifth of European timber imports could result from illegal logging and that global deforestation is responsible for 20 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.

Stavros Dimas, Europe’s environment commissioner, hailed the new proposals as a way to protect biodiversity as well as 60m people who rely on forests for their livelihood.
“By working to eliminate illegal wood from our market, the EU will help promote sustainable forestry practices in the rest of the world,” Mr Dimas said.
The proposed legislation, which must win approval from the parliament and member states, represents another front in Europe’s ambitious goal to cut greenhouse gas and claim global leadership in fighting climate change.
In spite of complaints about slowing economies and costs from the financial crisis, European leaders this week reiterated their commitment to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
Environmentalists praised the European Union for addressing illegal logging. Yet they complained the proposals were insufficient, citing the murkiness of logging rules in many source countries. They also demanded more specifics about timber suppliers’ legal obligations to perform due diligence.
“The [proposal] does not have the teeth needed to seriously clamp down on this trade,” said Anke Schulmeister of WWF.
In a separate policy report, the Commission set out a long-term goal of halting deforestation by 2030 and recommended that Europe consider paying developing countries to protect and maintain their forests.
Those payments, it suggested, could come from the estimated €50bn ($67bn, £39bn) the EU will reap each year from 2013, when companies will pay for carbon allowances as part of the emissions trading scheme.
“Developed countries need to be ready to pay developing countries for the eco-system services that are provided by their forests,” said Mr Dimas.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008