The European Union signed an Agreement Partnership with Cameroon, the largest African exporter of timber to the EU in order to stop illegal trade of wood products into the Union. By June 2012, all shipments of wood products from Cameroon to the EU will require a license that can prove that the products are of legal origin.
the Agreement indicates a strong joint commitment between the two sides to stop illegal logging. It underpins the ongoing reforms in Cameroon targeting good governance and development in the forest sector. On the other hand, European consumers will be ensured that wood products such as furniture, imported from Cameroon are of legal origins. European Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, stated: "This agreement marks an important step in our fight against illegal logging and will contribute to economic development and poverty reduction in Cameroon."
"At the same time, the agreement meets the growing expectations of Europe regarding the verification of legality for timber products. It will benefit European consumers. They can be sure that when buying timber from Cameroon, is has a legal provenance. Negotiations for the agreement between Cameroon and the EU started in 2007 and were based on the active involvement of civil society and private sector representatives. A national system for tracking the wood has already been implemented.
Cameroon is one of the main exporting partners for the countries located in the Congo Basin, where the second largest rainforest in the world is located. 80% of Cameroon`s timber is exported to the EU. Europe, the largest exporter of African tropical timber plans to establish a national system to ensure compliance in the production of timber, which covers all wood products that is to be sold to the EU, and markets outside the EU.
European Union will guarantee unrestricted market access to all timber products that come from Cameroon, who have been legally verified.
Source: www.news.google.com |
