In a move to stop the illegal import of timber an agreement comes into effect with Indonesia to help European Union Customs identify unlicensed timber
The landmark timber trade agreement between the EU and Indonesia is designed to combat illegal logging which threatens both local communities and a range of endangered species in Indonesia.
The Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) is expected to help EU Customs identify unlicensed Indonesian products and prevent them from entering EU markets.
The agreement was signed between the European Union and Indonesia in May 2011, but only now comes into legal effect.
It means all timber production in Indonesia will be required to adhere to a national assurance system known as the Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu (SVLK) that is independently checked by ISO-accredited auditors.
The agreement also forms part of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) program, which aims to halt the sale of illegal timber products to the EU to help combat deforestation and protect local communities.
Faith Doherty, of the NGO Environmental Investigation Agency, said the new law would dovetail with the EU’s existing Timber Regulation, which came into effect in March this year to ban stolen timber from EU markets.
“It’s been a long, hard journey for all concerned to arrive at this point and we are encouraged to see the VPA come into effect,” she said in a statement.
“In particular, we welcome the multi-stakeholder process and the formal role for Indonesia’s civil society in monitoring the compliance of the country’s timber industry.”
