Ghana VPA timber imports start in 2010

The first shipments of timber from Ghana licensed under an agreement with the EU are expected to hit the European market at the end of 2010.

The news came at a ceremony in Brussels to mark the end of the ratification process of Ghana becoming the first country to sign a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) with the EU that will allow only legally harvested timber from the country into the European market.

The EU is the largest export market for Ghana’s timber (43% of the total value of its exports and 33% of volume). Customs officials in the EU member states will police timber shipments to ensure their legality.

The agreement keeps with the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) action plan, and establishes the legal framework of surveillance and monitoring aimed at ensuring all timber imports into the EU have been acquired, harvested, transported and exported in accordance with the law in Ghana.

“This agreement is a major step forward by both Ghana and the EU to ensure that only legally harvested timber from Ghana enters the EU,” said EU commissioner for development and humanitarian aid Karel De Gucht.