Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 6 • Number 17 • 6th October 2006

EU and Malaysia to Combat Illegal Timber Trade

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On 25 September, Malaysia and the EU launched formal negotiations to establish a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) to combat illegal timber trade. The VPA is set to be the first agreement under the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme, which was established as a follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development to improve developing country capacity to control illegal logging and reduce trade in illegal timber. The development of VPAs with timber-producing countries is one of the measures set out by the 2003 FLEGT Action Plan (see Bridges Weekly, 23 May 2003).

The aim of the EU-Malaysia VPA is to contribute to sustainable forest management and prevent illegally produced timber from entering the EU market. A timber licensing scheme will be set up, which customs authorities will use to verify the legality of imported timber. The VPA will also provide for joint studies, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building.

EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel noted that “in taking this step, the EU and Malaysia aim to demonstrate that trade and good governance can reinforce each other as a positive force for development and sustainable resource management.” Malaysian Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, said he believed the agreement would promote bilateral trade in timber products between the two countries.

Future VPAs are also in the works between the EU and Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with official negotiations set to start at the end of this year.

“Malaysia and EU Agree to Start Negotiations on FLEGT,” EC PRESS RELEASE, 25 September 2006.