EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)

1
EU Action Plan for Forest Law Enforcement,
Governance and Trade (FLEGT)
Chatham House London, January 2006
2
The EU FLEGT Action Plan

• The EU FLEGT Action Plan sets out supply- and
  demand-side measures to combat illegal logging
  and associated trade.
• The plan proposes partnership agreements with
  wood-producing countries that include
• Development co-operation and governance reform
• Measures to control the trade in
  illegally-harvested timber
• Additional measures proposed include
• Green public procurement
• Private sector initiatives
• Financing and investment

3
Recent developments

• Important recent developments include
• Legislative proposals agreed by Member States
  (Dec 05).
• Workshop to plan EU development assistance (Dec
  05).
• Proposals to the Tropical Forest Budget Line (Nov
  05).
• Service contract to help developing countries
  engage in partnership agreements (Nov 05).
• Posting staff to key regions (ongoing).
• Technical assistance programme in Indonesia (Mar
  06).

4
EU legislative process

• Proposals have been agreed for a timber import
  licencing scheme and voluntary FLEGT partnership
  agreements.
• UK oversaw conclusion of this work during its
  2005 EU presidency. Proposals adopted consist of
  
• Timber import licensing scheme legislation to
  implement the timber import licensing scheme.
• Partnership agreements Directives to guide the
  negotiation of partnership agreements.

5
Building partnerships

• With legislative proposals now adopted,
  preparations are being advanced for the next
  phase of the Action Plan
• Consultations in potential partner countries.
• Planning of joint EU (Commission and Member
  State) development assistance to partnership
  agreements.
• Posting staff to target countries / regions.

6
Partnership consultations

• A series of informal consultations on FLEGT
  partnership agreements are taking place in
  potential partner countries.
• Support by lead Member States Cameroon (DE),
  Congo, Gabon (FR), Ghana (UK), Indonesia (EC),
  Malaysia (NL).
• Encouraging response from potential partners,
  but lots of challenges ahead.

7
Development assistance

• For partnership agreements
• Development co-operation will be used to support
  reforms to governance in producer countries.
• Workshop to plan development assistance held in
  Brussels last year.
• Commission and MS have earmarked substantial
  resources around the FLEGT Action Plan. EC
  support includes
• Indonesia (15m)
• ACP region (10m)
• Central support contract (2.5m).

8
Development assistance

• Outside partnership agreements
• A series of pilot projects on forest governance
  themes have been funded (16m)
• Good practice for forest governance
• Independent monitoring / auditing
• Strengthening local civil society
• Facilitating trade in legal timber
• Further selection of projects in first half of
  2006.
• Support to regional FLEG processes (East Asia,
  Africa, Latin America) (3m).

9
Objectives for 2006

• Encouraging progress has been made with the FLEGT
  Action Plan. Important work must now take place
  to make it fully operational
• Negotiate FLEGT partnership agreements
• Preparing for negotiations
• Conducting negotiations
• Plan development assistance to support
  partnership agreements
• Programming of resources
• Scheduling and coordinating support to
  partnership agreements

10
Thank youFor further information see
http//europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/theme/
forest/initiative/index_en.htm