EU Timber Regulation

Overview of the Regulation

An EU Timber Regulation which entered into force on 2 December 2010, made it illegal as of 3 March 2013, to place illegally harvested timber and timber products on the EU market. The legislation requires that due diligence is applied to all timber first placed on the EU market and also that traders, further down the supply chain, keep track of who timber or timber products were bought from, and where applicable, who they were sold to. 

The UK will seek to ensure implementation of the regulation is robust and proportionate, that it contains appropriate sanctions for illegal operators, but also ensures that those who trade in legal timber have an open, fair and environmentally sustainable market for their products.  The UK’s competent authority for the EU Timber Regulation is the National Measurement Office (NMO). Please visit the NMO's website for more information http://www.bis.gov.uk/nmo/enforcement/EU-Timber-Regulation. They have been appointed to carry out the checks to verify that the law is complied with. 

Penalties for not complying with the law have not been decided yet but may include fines, seizure of the timber and immediate suspension of authorisation to trade.

The information in this section is based on the finalised Regulation text.  Further legislation with more detailed guidance on the obligations set out in the parent regulation are yet to be developed. CPET will provide further details and updates here in due course.

How do I ensure compliance with the EU Timber Regulation?

To ensure compliance with the Timber Regulation the following requirements have to be met:

• If you are a Trader, buying or selling timber or timber products in the EU, you have to be able to identify:
  (a) who you bought the timber or timber products from; and
  (b) where applicable, who you have sold the timber or timber products to.
  This information shall be kept for at least five years and be provided for checks if requested.

• If you are an Operator, 'placing timber or timber products on the market' — i.e. if you buy timber or timber products directly from a supplier outside the EU or you are producing timber in the EU — you will have to conduct due diligence.

  A Due Diligence system involves providing information on your supply of timber products, including description of species, volume, country of harvest and where applicable concession of harvest, name and address of your supplier and most importantly evidence of compliance with applicable legislation. The system also requires risk assessment of your supply and, where high risk is identified, mitigation to eliminate any potentially illegal timber. Read more about the Due Diligence system here.

Is the timber / are the timber products I am trading covered by the EU Timber Regulation?

See this page for a full overview of the timber and timber products currently covered by the EU Timber Regulation.

More questions?

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information on the EU Timber Regulation.

External links and documents

Documents

• The EU Timber Regulation Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market.

• Secondary legislation on Monitoring Organisations Commission Delegated Regulation of 23 February 2012 on the procedural rules for recognition and withdrawal of recognition of monitoring organisations.

• Implementing Regulation The Commission adopted the Implementing Regulation of 6 July 2012 on the risk assessment and risk mitigation measures which are part of the 'due diligence system' as well as on the frequency and nature of checks which member states' competent authorities will conduct on the monitoring organisations to ensure they comply with the requirements of the regulation.

• Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff(Annex 1)

• Support study for development of the non-legislative acts provided for in the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market (2011). Final report of the Commission funded study for developing of the non-legislative acts provided for in the EU Timber Regulation conducted by consultancy the European Forest Institute in cooperation with the University of Padua and Indufor. (disclaimer: The content of this report is the sole responsibility of the contractor and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission)

• Briefing Note: EU Timber Regulation (Defra, 23 February 2011). The UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) sets out the key points in the EU Timber Regulation.

• EU Timber Regulation Briefing Note Proforest, March 2011

Links

• European Commission website on the Timber Regulation

• Video: Fighting Illegal Logging The New EU Regulation produced on behalf of the EU FLEGT Facility.

• www.illegal-logging.info Managed by Chatham House and funded by UK aid to provide information on the key issues in the debate around illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber, via news stories and key documents, as well as details of relevant events and links to other relevant websites.

• EU FLEGT Facility Hosted and managed by the European Forest Institute (EFI) supports the European Union, Member States and partner countries in implementing the EU FLEGT Action Plan.