Proposed EU illegal timber legislation will get its latest hearing at a meeting of the European Parliament’s environment committee in Brussels on April 6.
Green MEP and committee member Caroline Lucas is believed to be penning amendments to text recently agreed by the European Council on a law aimed at stopping the import of illegal timber into the EU.
A year ago, the environment committee beefed up the proposals to include a requirement for all operators in the timber supply chain to prove the legality of their timber, with financial penalties recommended for those dealing in illegally-logged timber.
But agricultural ministers meeting in Brussels watered down the proposals, effectively dropping the criminalisation of selling illegal timber and instead advocating a risk minimalisation policy of due diligence.
The European Parliament environment committee has until April 8 to finalise any amendments, before taking a vote in May, followed by a further vote at the plenary session of the parliament in July.
