EU offers to help Phl exporters on timber rule

MANILA, Philippines - The European Union (EU) is keen on providing assistance to the Philippines to allow the country’s exporters to comply with the bloc’s new timber regulation against illegal logging.

The Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) has cited Matthieu Penot, attaché for economic cooperation of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, as saying that the EU intends to support the country’s efforts to raise the awareness and compliance levels of local exporters to the EU timber regulation which took effect last year.

The assurance was given during the EU-Philippines trade and investment dialogue held earlier this month amid concerns raised by small and medium furniture exporters on the timber regulation.

“The concern is raised because unlike our Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors, we are just getting organized towards compliance to this regulation this year,” Ma. Liza Leong, assistant vice president for advocacy and communications of the Philexport said.

“Many of our exporters to the EU are intensely concerned about not being able to export because they are not ready to comply yet,” she said.

Penot said the EU has been approached by the Philippines on various occasions to seek assistance on how to comply with the regulations.

In response to the request, he said the EU is providing support to the Department of Trade and Industry’s campaign of conducting workshops in the provinces to “inform the industry and train them on the various provisions contained in the regulation.”

“We’ve just signed a service contract with a non-governmental organization which will draft… compliance rules and a voluntary code of practice for the timber industry in the Philippines in order to comply with the regulation,” he added.

The EU timber regulation came into effect on March 3, 2013, to prevent the circulation of wood from illegal logging in the bloc.

The regulation prohibits placing illegally harvested timber and timber products on the EU market.

It covers a broad range of timber products, including solid wood products, flooring, plywood, pulp and paper.

The regulation applies to both imported and domestically produced timber and timber products.