A statement promoted by the three NGOs and signed by over 70
European companies was presented today at a conference on illegal
logging, governance and trade, organised by FERN, Greenpeace and
WWF at the European Parliament. Companies such as B&Q, Homebase
and Habitat (UK), Castorama (France), IKEA and Skanska (Sweden),
Unital (Union of Italian Industries of Wood Furniture), JYSK Nordic
(Denmark) and Puertas Luvipol (Spain) are calling for clear rules
in Europe for fair competition and sustainable markets.
"Cheap imports of illegal timber and the non-compliance of some
firms with basic social and environmental standards destabilise
international markets, threaten jobs and create unfair competition.
Without a clear European legal framework, companies that behave
responsibly and want to invest in sustainable practices will always
be disadvantaged," said André de Boer, Director of the Dutch Timber
Trade Federation.
"As one of the largest importers of illegally sourced timber and
related products, the EU has the duty to assume its responsibility
by stopping these activities," said Beatrix Richards, European
Forest Policy Officer at WWF. "Industry and NGOs are united in
saying that the EU must take immediate action to create
accountability in this sector by adopting new legislation and
promoting sustainable forest management worldwide."
Illegal logging contributes heavily to the destruction of
biodiversity and the impoverishment of millions of people that
depend on forests for food and income. It fuels social conflict and
is frequently associated with organised crime.
To address this problem, the EU Commission adopted in May 2003
an Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade
(FLEGT) and submitted to the Council a proposal for voluntary
partnership agreements with producer countries aimed at improving
governance in the forestry sector and implementing a traceability
system to ensure that only timber licensed as legal will be
exported to the EU. Although the proposal could under certain
conditions have a positive impact, NGOs and industry agree that a
voluntary approach alone is insufficient to tackle the problem.
"The timber sector is unusual in that it gives consumers no
guarantee of the legality of the products they buy," said Fiona
Hall and Chris Davies, members of the European Parliament, ALDE
Group. "As members of the European Parliament, we intend to
represent the public interest and demand that the Commission
deliver a report on legislative options to tackle illegal logging
that it promised for mid-2004."
Environmental NGOs have also highlighted that unsustainable
logging and trade can be as destructive as illegal logging.
Therefore the EU also needs to be clear that tackling illegal
logging is just the first step on the road to achieving sustainable
forest managament.
"The remaining forest surface of our planet is melting like snow
in the sun due to the greed of a few people," said Sebastien Risso,
EU forests policy director at Greenpeace. "We need to act now to
guarantee sustainable management of this common good, with the full
involvement of local populations and within the framework of
sustainable development and poverty reduction."