An EU Commission delegation, led by ambassador Thierry Rommel, has been in Malaysia to develop a Forest Law Enforcement Government and Trade (FLEGT) action plan.
Mr Rommel said the EU, which is a significant consumer of timber products, shares responsibilty with timber-producing countries to tackle illegal logging and related trade.
“The FLEGT action plan aims to eliminate imports of illegally-harvested timber and timber products into the EU and support progress towards sustainable forest management,” he explained.
Mr Rommel said the signing of bilateral VPAs between the EU and major timber producing countries was a key element to building up commitment and stopping trade in illegally logged timber.
“VPAs are based on the establishment of licensing schemes to ensure that only legal timber enters the EU,” said Mr Rommel who has visited Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah.
And he said that the Malaysian government recognised that sustainable management is the only viable long term pespective for the country’s forests, adding that this was of immediate relevance to the Malaysian economy, particularly Sabah’s.
