The European Commission should delay the implementation of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), according to a letter from three major timber industry bodies. Source: Timberbiz
The European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Timber Trade Federation have called on newly re-elected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to delay the implementation of the EUDR, saying it will put the European manufacturing sector “at a disadvantage on the international stage”.
In a joint letter sent to Ms von der Leyen, the organisations congratulated the President on her recent re-election, and said:
“We were particularly pleased at the observation you made in your re-election speech in Strasbourg where you rightly stated: ‘We all know there is no Europe without SMEs. They are the heart of our economy. Therefore, let us get rid of the burdensome micromanagement, and give them more trust and better incentives.’
“Alas, a prime example of such ‘burdensome micromanagement’ is the EU’s own EUDR which clearly puts the European manufacturing sector at a disadvantage on the international stage and creates significant additional administrative burdens for our companies.
“In the current geopolitical and geoeconomic context, the EU green economy – of which the European wood industries are a significant player – must remain competitive and pursue a growth policy, while rightly also striving to reach agreed climate and environmental targets. However, a competitive Europe can only be achieved through realistic policies and implementable measures, all of which need to pass the proportionality and necessity tests.
“The EUDR obligations to which our industries are now subject need to be implemented by law in a shorter timeframe than has ever been imposed on any other industrial sector affected by comparable European legislation.
“As a consequence of the unprecedented tightness of the deadline, the transition period envisaged does not enable the objectives assigned to it to be met before the deadline expires. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that a delay of the entry into application of the EUDR is granted.
“Please be assured that our industries strongly condemn illegal logging and deforestation and hence we support the aims of the EUDR. We believe that from an environmental point of view, these activities cause irreparable damage leading to a loss of biodiversity.
“From an economic point of view, illegal logging disrupts markets and drives down timber prices, resulting in unfair competition that hampers efforts to implement sustainable forest management.
“At the same time, deforestation has a direct and negative impact on the availability of wood, which is vital to the very existence of our sector. Consequently our industries are understandably at the forefront of the fight against illegal logging and deforestation.
“In conclusion, against this background, in order to combat deforestation and translate the objectives of the EUDR into positive results, it is essential that our companies are placed in a position to effectively implement the obligations of the regulation within a credible timeframe, in particular by putting in place the appropriate instruments. This will only be possible if the EU grants as soon as possible an adequate delay in the implementation of the EUDR.”
