Posted on 10/31/2016 Categories: newsletter-enComments are off for this post
NO.3 SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2016
TEFSO Newsletter
Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office
The FLEGT
LeLegality Definition (LD)
Thai – EU FLEGT Secretariat Office (TEFSO) discussed with European Forest Institute (EFI) to arrange a technical meeting, which aims to discuss on The European Union (EU)’s comment on the draft Legality Definition (LD) on 26 September 2016 between Ad-Hoc Working group of FLEGT VPA and a technical representative from EFI.
Before that technical representative from EFI were traveled to do LD mini-field test on 22-24 September 2016 with TEFSO and relevant stakeholder to testing and collecting information for complete field test planning. They had reflected the guideline on LD indicator and verifier developing in the technical meeting. The meeting on that day was discussed and concluded to improve LD furthermore.
FLEGTDiscovery
The wait is over! FLEGT licences are coming
Indonesia and the European Union today agreed that from 15 November 2016 Indonesia can issue ‘FLEGT’ licences to verified legal timber products it exports to the EU.The decision makes Indonesia the first country in the world to achieve this major milestone in the global effort to combat illegal logging and associated illegal timber trade.However, FLEGT-licensed products automatically meet the EUTR requirements, EU-based importers will not need to do further due diligence before placing them on the market.As part of the VPA, Indonesia has developed a system for assuring that all timber products harvested or imported, transported, traded, processed and exported comply with national laws on environmental, social and economic aspects identified by stakeholders from government, the private sector and civil society.The EU has already completed internal procedures to recognise FLEGT licences from Indonesia. Competent authorities and timber importers in the 28 EU Member States are now preparing to receive the world’s first shipments of FLEGT-licensed timber.
On 7 September 2016, Mr.Peter Viehbeck, Private Sector Expert from EU FLEGT Facility visited Mr.Banjong Wongsrisoontron, Director of TEFSO to introduce SME assessment project, which received funding from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) to increase the knowledge about small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and smallholders in the Mekong region and to addresses potential challenges for these timber companies to operate legally, economically, socially and environmentally successfully in the context of FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs).
FLEGT Tips
What is the EUTR?
EUTR stands for: EU Timber Regulation; The EU Timber Regulation aims to reduce illegal logging by ensuring that no illegal timber or timber products can be sold in the EU. It was created as part of the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan. The EU Timber Regulation came into force on 3 March 2013. It prohibits operators in Europe from placing illegally harvested timber and products derived from illegal timber on the EU market.
The Corner…
Thai Timber Association, one of the significant stakeholders of the FLEGT process in Thailand, with Department of Industrial Promotion, arranged “Strongly Overcoming a barrier, Preparing and taking offense on Timber Industry/Wood Product defending the invasion of AEC” forum for SMEs between 22 – 23 September 2016 at Windsor Hotel Sukhumvit 20. The event aims to give a lesson from the past and adapt to the present time and also preparing for the change in the future.
In the next week on 27th September 2016, at Bangkok Cha-Da Hotel, Department of International Trade Promotion with Thai Timber Association and World Trade Conference organized the “Digitalize – New World for Timber Industry and Wood Product” pointing out the new channel to expense Timber market in Thailand and preparing for the change of consumer behavior through Digital Marketing and Social Media.
