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24
July 2003
RE: The EU Action Plan for
Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)
Dear Mrs. Teschke,
The undersigned
NGOs welcomes the European Commission’s FLEGT Action Plan as a first step in
the fight against forest crime. The Action Plan rightly acknowledges the
seriousness and complexity of the problem and we specifically welcome the
acknowledgement that the EU as a major consumer of timber products should
direct demand towards only legally harvested timber.
As
you are no doubt aware, companies and individuals can, and do, import massive
quantities of illegally logged timber into European Union. This practice is
perpetuated because no punitive action can be taken to stop it. It is essential therefore, that legislation
is put in place that makes it illegal to import or sell any illegally sourced
timber or wood products.
However,
the failure to include such a provision in the EU Action Plan amounts to the
EU's tacit support for illegal activities in timber producing countries, and
the condoning of organised crime. We have spent many years engaging with the
timber industry in Europe and producing countries to take a more progressive
and transparent approach to their sourcing. Generally a majority of the industry
have continued to turn a blind eye to illegal logging making vast profits and
contributing to the violence and corruption that comes with forest crimes.
History has shown us that voluntary measures together with
industry self-regulation (e.g. code of conduct in the Congo basin) does not
work. We believe that the only remedy is to have new legislation in place that
makes it illegal to import or sell any illegally sourced timber or wood
products. This will allow for enforcement officials to seize illegally sourced
timber and wood products and prosecute those that are trading in it. The
urgency of plight of forest crime and destruction implies that this new
legislation must be fast-tracked by Council and the Parliament in response to
the Commission's proposal.
In addition to that, we support the strengthening of the existing
legislation identified in the action plan on money laundering, stolen goods and
public procurement to ensure it captures all
the aspects of forest crimes. Therefore
we enclose more detailed comments and recommendations
on the specific issues raised for consideration by the Council’s Cooperation
and Development Working Group.
Yours
sincerely,
Sébastien Risso
Chantal Marijnissen Frederic Castell Hilde Stroot,
Greenpeace EU
Unit FERN Amis de la Terre, France Milieudefensie
Ed Matthew,
Friends of the
Earth, EWNI