Finnish concern at “hurried” illegal timber legislation

The Finnish forest industry has expressed concern at the “hurried” final drafting of EU draft legislation to stop the sale of illegally logged timber in Europe.

The Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF) issued a statement following the European Parliament’s vote in favour of the draft legislation in Strasbourg.

FFIF said while it supported action to stop the sale of illegal timber, implementation of regulations must not involve unnecessary red tape.

It said the practical applicability of the system had not been appropriately considered.

“This makes it important that the drafting of the implementation rules, which will complement the proposal, will focus on practical implementation and that sufficient expert counsel is sought during their preparation.”

FFIF does not want the competitiveness of manufacturers operating within the EU to be weakened and smooth functioning of border crossing into the EU must be ensured.

FFIF believes the EU is imposing stricter criteria than other materials, “thus eroding the competitiveness of wood products in comparison to other goods”.

This could in some cases, FFIF maintains, hamper the drive towards sustainable development.