Agreement facilitate timber export to EU

VGP - The completion of negotiations on the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), one of the key elements of the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, is expected to lift obstacles in producing, importing and exporting timber products in EU market.

August 22, 2014 5:35 PM GMT+7

The information has been revealed by the General Department of Forestry (GDF), saying that Viet Nam’s timber products must not declare the origin of wood when being exported to the EU.

According to Nguyen Ba Ngai, Vice Director of the GDF, Viet Nam has implemented strictly commitments by the Government, people and timber processors for export on preventing illegal timber trade around the world. The country has also established and operated an effective and reliable system on controlling, identifying and licensing the origin of wood.

The negotiations began in November 2010. Viet Nam and the EU agreed on major contents, including a framework definition on legal timber, the supply chain, the system on ensuring legal timber, FLEGT licensing system and independent examination and evaluation.

Nguyen Ton Quyen, Vice President and General Secretary of the Viet Nam Timber and Forest Products Association said that the participation in VPA/FLEGT would help businesses expand markets.

Businesses can join the timber producing network and the supply chain from studying, developing, designing products to producing and trading around the world while having chances to access green production, Quyen added.

By Ngoc Van