Gute Nachrichten lassen lange warten - gelegentlich Jahre: Das Europaparlament hat heute einem akzeptablen Kompromißvorschlag zum 'illegalen Holzhandel' mit überwältigender Mehrheit zugestimmt. Künftig soll der Verkauf von illegal geschlagenem Holz verboten sein, es müssen u.a. Maßnahmen zur Rückverfolgbarkeit getroffen sein und es wird Sanktionen bei Nichteinhaltung geben... [Continue]
Wagons brimming with logs accumulate in the Siberian railway station of Dalnerechensk, more than 8,000km (4,971 miles) east of Moscow. They are waiting to cross the nearby Chinese border.
Once in China, they will be processed and used for construction or turned into garden furniture and other products to be sold in European and US shops.
More than a third of all Russian logs are smuggled by mafias, a practice that doubled between 2005 and 2007, according to official figures... [Continue]
LUXEMBOURG - EU farm ministers on Monday broadly welcomed plans to crack down on the lucrative illegal timber trade by making exporters obtain licences to prove their wood does not come from endangered rainforests.
Ministers will negotiate the proposals in detail over the next few months, after a discussion in which some voiced concern over the plan's costs for business and others said the scheme was long overdue... [Continue]
Pressemitteilung vom 22.10.2008
München - Pro REGENWALD wirft Bundesumweltminister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) in einem offenen Brief Heuchelei vor. In seiner Enttäuschung über die kürzlich vorgestellten Vorschläge der Europäischen Kommission zur Bestrafung illegalen Holzhandels lenkt er vom jahrelangen Versagen der Bundesregierung ab, selbst gegen den illegalen Holzeinschlag und -handel tätig zu werden... [Continue]
Washington DC, USA ' Importers of wood products may want to keep an eye on newly passed regulations in last months farm bill. New amendments added to the Lacey Act aim to cut down on illegal logging.
Depending on how strongly the new provisions are enforced, the law could have implications for the furniture industrys supply chain.
The legislation creates a requirement for importers to declare the species and country of origin of any plant or plant product, including wood... [Continue]
Russia - The Federal Customs Service yesterday reduced the number of customs checkpoints that will process unfinished timber exports from 668 to 128 with proper technology for assessing timber cargo. Kindling, sawdust, milling byproducts, pulp and other rough forms of wood are subject to the new procedure as well.
Finished wood products will be handled as before... [Continue]
Manila, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has computerized clearance forms for shipping logs and other forest products in the country for more efficient tracking of transactions that would cut down opportunities for illegal logging.
The DENR announced on Thursday that all its regional offices, except those in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, have started issuing computerized forms for clearances of timber and lumber shipments in a bid to eliminate fraud in such transactions... [Continue]
