Press Release: Commission welcomes agreement on measures to fight illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber

The European Commission on 24 October 2005 welcomed agreement by Member States on measures to fight illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber, a growing problem that was estimated to rob governments in affected developing countries of an estimated €10-15bn every year in lost revenue and that damages the environment. The measures adopted consist of (i) voluntary partnerships to support and promote governance reform in countries badly affected by illegal logging; and (ii) a regulation that set up a legally-binding licensing scheme with partner countries to ensure that only legal timber from these countries is imported into the EU.