First FLEGT Licensed Timber Arrives in the Marketplace

On 15th November 2016 the first ever shipment of wood products licensed under Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) was sent from Indonesia to the European Union. From now on all timber product types listed in the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between Indonesia and the EU and directly exported to the EU must be accompanied by a FLEGT license. The FLEGT license automatically meets the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation, which prohibits operators in the EU from placing illegally harvested timber and products derived from illegal timber on the EU market. Importers of FLEGT-licensed timber products can now place their imports on the EU market without the need to conduct further due diligence. “By addressing legality and meeting the EU's high standards, we can not only trade responsibly but also ensure our forests support sustainable development, improve livelihoods and help address climate change,” said Putera Parthama, Director General of Sustainable Management of Production Forest at Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry. “The EU congratulates Indonesia on the great progress it has made in bringing its forest sector under control and improving forest governance,” said Vincent Guérend, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia. “Indonesia has shown true leadership and now sets a high standard for other countries to emulate,” said Guérend. “We also congratulate Indonesia for applying its timber legality assurance system to exports to all markets, and not just to the EU.” The newly established FLEGT Licence Information Point ( provides a section on Indonesia's timber legality www.flegtlicence.org)assurance system (SVLK), FLEGT licensing procedures and FLEGT-licensed products. The online resource also includes answers to dozens of frequently asked questions that cover everything from the basics to complex trade scenarios and how to report any problems. It also includes details about FLEGT Competent Authorities in each EU Member State, as well as information for importers and other traders of FLEGT-licensed products in the EU.

Source: www.flegt.org

Lao-EU FLEGT

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Minute of Meeting on 3rd Video Conference on 11 October 2016:English

Minute of Meeting on Technical Working Group on 15 December 2016: / Lao English

The TWG workshop presentations can be downloaded here: / Lao English

Timber Legality Definition on Conversion Area:Lao: ; ; Version 0.1 Version 1.0 Version 1.1 Version 1.2; English: ; ; Version 0.1 Version 1.0Version 1.1 Version 1.2;

Timber Legality Definition on Wood Processing and Trade:Lao: ; ;Version 0.1 Version 1.0 Version 1.1 Version 1.2; English: ; ; Version 0.1 Version 1.0Version 1.1 Version 1.2;

Training materials:Relascope (Dendrometer) /

ເຄື່ອງວັດແທກໄມ້ຢືນຕົ້ນ (Dendrometer)

SUUNTO PM-5 (Clinometer) /

ເຄື່ອງວັດແທກ SUUNTO PM-5

(Clinometer)

SUUNTO PM-5/1520 (Clinometer) /

ເຄື່ອງວັດແທກ SUUNTO PM-5/1520

Issue 1 / 2017

© EU Council Newsroom © MFP3

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FLEGT Standing Office

Department of Forest Inspection

That Dam Campus, Chanthabouly District

Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR

Telephone: +856-21-255 264;

Fax: +856-21-255 263

Email: info@flegtlaos.com

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The first formal conversation of the standard for legal timber from converted forest areas was held as part of the Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting in Vientiane on the 15th of December. The forest conversion timber standard defines the legality of timber harvested from areas converted from forest land to other land types for development or investment projects. The TWG meeting also discussed the first draft of the standard on wood processing and trade and heard presentations on a recent regional seminar in Indonesia as well as the scope of wood products that will be permitted for legal export under relevant laws. Of the six sources of timber defined for the Lao-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), forest conversion is seen by many stakeholders as the most important source and the most in need of clarifying legality. Prior to the Prime Minister's Order 15, the majority of exported timber was sourced from areas converted for construction, infrastructure, or development projects. The Prime Minister Order 15 identified and closed a number of gaps in the governance of conversion timber that were contributing to deforestation and exporting of illegal timber. The first draft of the forest conversion timber standard sets five principles for ensuring legality, including the legal (1) forest conversion; (2) harvest planning; (3) harvesting; (4) sale and movement; and (5) the environmental and social obligations. Each principle has numerous criteria defined by current Lao law, with indicators that will be used to confirm compliance with those laws. Many participants in the meeting contributed to the conversation during the TWG meeting, including asking questions about the consistency and enforceability of the policies regarding timber inventories referenced in the standard as well as the participation of communities in the conversion and planning process and benefits for impacted communities. Technical staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry acknowledged that there would need to be further clarification on these points. The meeting's chairman, Mr. Khamphout Phandanouvong, Director General of Department for Forest Inspection, and the Head of the Negotiation Support and Development Committee for the Lao-EU FLEGT process, responded that these questions were beneficial to the process and that it was important to find answers before the Voluntary Partnership Agreement could be finalized. In his closing remarks, Mr. Khamphout recognized the excellent participation and constructive conversation in the meeting, assuring those present that the upcoming Thematic Expert Group meetings would address the technical aspects of the standards, where concerns and questions could be further explored.

Technical Working Group Discusses Draft Standard on Timber from Forest Conversion

Vietnam and EU Agree in Pinciple on FLEGT VPA

After nearly six years of negotiations, Vietnam and the European Union have agreed in principle on a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) to improve forest governance, address illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products from Vietnam to the EU. Vietnam and the EU expect to ratify the agreement in 2017. "Vietnam and the EU today celebrate a milestone in their cooperation in the global fight to end illegal logging," said EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella.

To implement the VPA, Vietnam will develop a timber legality assurance system and other reforms, including issuing legislation to ensure the legality of timber Vietnam imports for further processing. “A key commitment is to establish a credible and robust system, which involves all stakeholders and includes effective mechanisms to detect violations and ensure law enforcement,” said Vella. “The EU will continue to support Vietnam's efforts in this regard. We will be monitoring closely how the country works to implement the agreement.”

Source: European Commission press release

Group photo at the 5th Regional Training Workshop on Timber Legality Assurance6-8 December 2016, Indonesia

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