Commission
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Procedures for assessing effectiveness of EUTR are inadequate – European Court of Auditors
In a report published 4 October, the European Court of Auditors concluded that EC procedures for assessing effectiveness of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) are inadequate. In the Special Report 21/2021: EU funding for biodiversity and climate change in EU forests: positive but limited results", the Court of Auditors conclude that: "Reporting under the Timber Regulation does not provide the information with which the Commission can analyse the quality of Member States’ monitoring activity, the national rules defining illegal logging or the procedures used for checks. Nor does it require Member States to substantiate their replies with supporting documents that would allow it to verify the accuracy or completeness of the information”. The Court goes on to note that “we reviewed the national procedures for checking domestic logging in Germany, Spain and Poland in order to... Continue reading
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October 18, 2021
Procedures for assessing effectiveness of EUTR are inadequate – European Court of Auditors
In a report published 4 October, the European Court of Auditors concluded that EC procedures for assessing effectiveness of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) are inadequate. In the Special Report 21/2021: EU funding for biodiversity and climate change in EU forests: positive but limited results", the Court of Auditors conclude that: "Reporting under the Timber Regulation does not provide the information with which the Commission can analyse the quality of Member States’ monitoring activity, the national rules defining illegal logging or the procedures used for checks. Nor does it require Member States to substantiate their replies with supporting documents that would allow it to verify the accuracy or completeness of the information”. The Court goes on to note that “we reviewed the national procedures for checking domestic logging in Germany, Spain and Poland in order to... Continue reading
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EU illegal timber policy seems to be ineffective
EU’s timber regulation (EUTR) hasn’t been effective in preventing the illegal timber trade, according to the Guardian. Even if the law requires it, six EU countries still haven’t carried out checks on importers. Moreover, nine other EU countries didn’t take action against illegal timber dealers or haven’t been imposed penalties. The European Commission review sent to the Guardian shows that there are only a few private sector companies that have monitoring groups to track the source of their timber. Nevertheless, there are numerous ways to exempt many types of timber import from investigation. This EU law represents a landmark against illegal logging, "but almost three years after its introduction, we haven’t seen a single prosecution in Europe. If EU member states are serious about cracking down on the drivers of illegal logging, they need to start abiding by their... Continue reading
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EU illegal timber policy seems to be ineffective
EU’s timber regulation (EUTR) hasn’t been effective in preventing the illegal timber trade, according to the Guardian. Even if the law requires it, six EU countries still haven’t carried out checks on importers. Moreover, nine other EU countries didn’t take action against illegal timber dealers or haven’t been imposed penalties. The European Commission review sent to the Guardian shows that there are only a few private sector companies that have monitoring groups to track the source of their timber. Nevertheless, there are numerous ways to exempt many types of timber import from investigation. This EU law represents a landmark against illegal logging, "but almost three years after its introduction, we haven’t seen a single prosecution in Europe. If EU member states are serious about cracking down on the drivers of illegal logging, they need to start abiding by their... Continue reading
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October 18, 2021
Procedures for assessing effectiveness of EUTR are inadequate – European Court of Auditors
In a report published 4 October, the European Court of Auditors concluded that EC procedures for assessing effectiveness of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) are inadequate. In the Special Report 21/2021: EU funding for biodiversity and climate change in EU forests: positive but limited results", the Court of Auditors conclude that: "Reporting under the Timber Regulation does not provide the information with which the Commission can analyse the quality of Member States’ monitoring activity, the national rules defining illegal logging or the procedures used for checks. Nor does it require Member States to substantiate their replies with supporting documents that would allow it to verify the accuracy or completeness of the information”. The Court goes on to note that “we reviewed the national procedures for checking domestic logging in Germany, Spain and Poland in order to... Continue reading