Truck loaded with illegally logged birch from Russian Karelia, arriving at the UPM-Kymmene pulp-, paper- and sawmill in Kaukas, Lappeenranta, Finland. A Greenpeace report reveals how illegally logged timber from Russia is being freely imported into Finland.
In its report 'Partners in Crime: A Greenpeace Investigation
into Finland's Illegal Timber Trade with Russia', Greenpeace has
documented wide-spread illegal logging in the Russian Republic of
Karelia.(1) During undercover field research between June and
August 2006, campaigners witnessed timber being harvested in
violation of Russian forest and environmental laws,(2) then
transported across the border to be processed by industry giants
UPM and Stora Enso. Products from these mills are exported
throughout Europe and beyond, as far away as Japan. Customers of
these mills include liquid packaging manufacturers, such as Tetra
Pak and Elopak.
"Finland can no longer distance itself from the laundering of
illegal timber. As President of the EU, it is the government's duty
to support effective EU-wide legislation that ensures legal and
sustainable sourcing of wood products in Europe. Instead, Finland
is allowing the EU to serve as a clearing house for the spoils of
forest crime," said Sue Connor, Greenpeace International
campaigner.
The European Commission promised to propose options for
legislation to combat the import of illegal timber into Europe,
aimed at filling the gaps of an earlier voluntary programme, but
has, to date, failed to deliver. Finland has so far put economic
interests before forest protection, claiming that industry-led
voluntary measures are sufficient to control timber trade, while
the evidence provided in the Greenpeace report makes it clear that
these are inadequate.
"With no EU legislation prohibiting illegal timber being
circulated through European markets, consumers are unwittingly
forced to be accomplices in forest crimes. We urge them to join us
in demanding strong EU wide legislation," said Sebastien Risso,
Greenpeace EU Policy Officer.
Greenpeace is one of 180 NGOs and over 80 progressive businesses
calling for effective EU-wide legislation to ban illegal timber and
to ensure that all timber products on the market come from
responsibly managed forests.(3)
Other contacts: Sue Connor, Greenpeace International Forest Campaigner: +31 646 162 024 Sebastien Risso, Greenpeace EU Policy Officer: +32 496 127 009Sini Harkki, Greenpeace Nordic Forest Campaigner: +35 850 582 1107 Namrata Chowdhary, Greenpeace International Communications: +31 646 1973 27
VVPR info: For related visuals, please contact: Franca Michienzi, Greenpeace International +31 653819255
Notes: Notes to Editors: (1) Partners in Crime: A Greenpeace Investigation into Finland's Illegal Timber Trade with Russia. Available online http://www.greenpeace.org/forests/illegal-logging-finn-russia (2) Karelian forest management and exploitation is based on management plans that have not been assessed by forestry and environmental experts or by civil society, a clear violation of Russian Federal law. In addition to the absence of an EIA, further violations were documented by Greenpeace. (3) Factsheets on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Industry and NGO statements can be downloaded from http://www.greenpeace.org/forests/finn-russia-industry and http://www.greenpeace.org/forests/finn-russia-ngo respectively
Exp. contact date: 2006-10-19 00:00:00