FLEGT

FLEGT stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. The EU’s FLEGT Action Plan was established in 2003. It aims to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

FLEGT

FLEGT stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. The EU’s FLEGT Action Plan was established in 2003. It aims to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

What is FLEGT?

FLEGT stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. The EU published the Forest, Law, Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003. The Action Plan sets out a range of measures available to the EU and its member states to tackle illegal logging in the world’s forests. These include demand and supply side measures such as the EUTR and VPAs.

It aims to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

What is illegal logging?

Illegal logging is the harvesting, processing, transporting, buying or selling of timber in contravention of national and international laws. It has a devastating impact on some of the world’s most valuable remaining forests, and on the people who live in them and rely on the resources that forests provide.

What is the EU Timber Regulation?

The EU Timber Regulation aims to reduce illegal logging by ensuring that no illegal timber or timber products can be sold in the EU. It was created as part of the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan.

The EU Timber Regulation came into force on 3 March 2013. It prohibits operators in Europe from placing illegally harvested timber and products derived from illegal timber on the EU market. ‘Legal’ timber is defined as timber produced in compliance with the laws of the country where it is harvested.

The regulation applies to timber and a wide range of timber products, including pulp and paper.

What is a Voluntary Partnership Agreement?

A Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) is a legally binding trade agreement between the European Union and a timber-producing country outside the EU.

The purpose of a VPA is to ensure that timber and timber products exported to the EU come from legal sources. The agreements also help timber-exporting countries stop illegal logging by improving regulation and governance of the forest sector.

VPA Unpacked provides a series of clear and useful descriptions explaining some of the core concepts around the EU FLEGT Action Plan, Voluntary Partnership Agreements, and the structures and processes that have emerged across different VPA negotiations.

What is FLEGT-licensed timber?

A FLEGT licence is a document that confirms that a shipment of timber or timber products has been legally produced, in accordance with the relevant laws of the country of export. FLEGT-licensed timber and timber products are considered to comply with the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR).

The FLEGT Licence Information Point includes answers to dozens of frequently asked questions that cover everything from the basics to complex trade scenarios and how to report any problems.

Websites

Find more information about the FLEGT and other related EU initiatives on the following websites.

About the VPA Africa – Latin America Facility

The VPA Africa – Latin America Facility supports the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan with a focus on Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). The Facility contributes to combating illegal logging and strengthening forest governance while encouraging sustainable economic development in countries that produce or process timber and export to the EU. The Facility is hosted by the European Forest Institute (EFI) and was established in November 2019.

Disclaimer

This website has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.