Posted on 12/26/2016 Categories: newsletter-enComments are off for this post
NO.4 NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2016
TEFSO Newsletter
Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office
The FLEGT Thailand readiness under FLEGT process
As many were known, Thailand agreed to join FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) since 2013. After that Thailand by Royal Forest Department (RFD) had established Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office (TEFSO) to coordinate the FLEGT process in Thailand. The meetings of Ad-Hoc Working Group on FLEGT are performing the relevant stakeholders on timber (i.e. Business, Government and CSO sectors) to provide Legality Definition (LD) since 2014. Until now, Thailand has the first draft of LD, which technically discusses with EU and it’s nearly over for a negotiation stage in the near future.
Moreover, Ad-Hoc working group is concurrently developing the Product Scope and initially develop Supply Chain Control.
In order that TEFSO has planned to prepare three annexes above to ready for negotiation between Thailand and EU that may happen in 2017.
FLEGT Discovery
Indonesia and EU celebrate launch of FLEGT licensing
High-level representatives of the EU and Indonesia have celebrated the launch of Indonesia’s FLEGT licensing scheme in a ceremony in Jakarta on 24 November 2016. The licensing scheme aims to boost trade in legal timber products from Indonesia to the EU while preventing exports of illegal products.
The Jakarta Post report Vincent Guerend, the EU Ambassador to Indonesia, as saying: “I think Indonesian timber products now will have a competitive advantage in the EU. Indonesia supplies 10 percent of the world’s timber market and EU imports a third of that.”
FLEGT licensing began on 15 November. In the first eight days of licensing, Indonesia issued 845 FLEGT licences to products shipped to 24 EU countries and with a total value of US$24.96 million, according to official data quoted by the Jakarta Post.
The EU Timber Regulation and VPAs are part of the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan. They work together to combat illegal logging and improve forest governance.
VPAs are treaties that the EU makes with timber-producing countries that export timber and timber products to the EU. A country that has a VPA and an operational licensing system can issue FLEGT licences for legally produced timber and timber products.
All timber and timber products with a FLEGT licence automatically comply with the EU Timber Regulation. This means that when purchasing FLEGT-licensed timber, EU operators do not need to carry out additional due diligence checks.
The Corner…
Regarding to “Multi-Stakeholder Consultation: Legal and Tenure Constraints of Small-Scale Holders” between 22-23 November 2016, the meeting selected 3 pilot sites: Muang Ling Family Enterprise in Surin, Community Forest Network in Chonburi, and Mae Ta Community Forest Network in Chiang Mai for to develop pilot sites for legal logging under the law of small-scale holders project. As the Workshop on 15 December 2016. RECOFTC Thailand also invited project consultants who has represented forest sections, namely, government, enterprise, civil society, and academy. To plan strategy of the project, all of them participated and shared their opinions about the three pilot sites project conducted and brainstormed by agents of each site.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/ThaiCSOsFLEGT/
Happy New Year 2017! May the Holy Triple Gem, merit of the King Chulalongkorn, the King Bhumibhol Adulyadej and His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun and all sacred things bless you with happiness, success and victory to all you wish.
TEFSO TEAM
Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office (TEFSO)
Kasetsart University Alumni Association Under Royal Patronage 50 Phaholyothin Road, Ladyao, Chatuchak District , Bangkok THAILAND 10900
Tel. 02-561-5102, 02-561-5103 Fax. 02-940-5676
Website: www.tefso.org Facebook: TEFSO
