Greenpeace, WWF and Forestry & the EU Resource Network (FERN) have drafted model legislation aimed at outlawing illegal wood imports in Europe.
The draft, which also outlines methods to promote sustainable forest management worldwide, was produced as a response to the European Commission’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan, the first package of which was due to be discussed by ministers on December 21.
The document has been signed by 150 social and environmental organisations from around the world.
It recognises illegal logging as an environmental crime and allows for sanctions if documents certifying wood’s legality are forged or incomplete. It also proposes sustainability criteria be developed in co-operation with timber-producing countries and progressively integrated into laws.
Greenpeace said the draft was intended to press the EU into swift action, while WWF said the timber industry faced an “uncertain future” if it failed to address illegal logging and unsustainable wood imports.
The model legislation also calls for society to be fully involved in developing partnership agreements, as well as measures in customs, co-operation, investment and public-purchasing policies.
