EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) & Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom and EU Rules in the Field of Fight Against Illegal Logging and Associated Trade

• https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/timber-trade-fight-against-illegal-logging-and-associated-trade

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine designated as Competent Authority for the EU Deforestation Regulation

In June 2023 the EU published Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 31 May 2023, on the making available on the European Union Single Market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation, now commonly known as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

The main aims of this regulation are threefold:

• To ensure that the listed products bought, used and consumed by Europeans do not contribute to deforestation and forest degradation within the EU and globally.

• To reduce carbon emissions caused by EU consumption and production of the relevant commodities covered by the regulation.

• To address the deforestation and forest degradation that is driven by the agricultural expansion, which produces the commodities covered by the scope of the regulations.

There are seven relevant commodities – cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood and some of their derived products such as leather, chocolate, tyres and printed paper. A full list of the relevant EU customs codes and individual product descriptions can be found in the Annex to the Regulation. The regulation applies to relevant products that are produced domestically in Ireland as well as imports into and exports out of Ireland.

Under Article 14 (1) of the regulation, Member States must designate one or more competent authorities responsible for fulfilling the obligations of the EU Deforestation Regulation.

On 29th December 2023 the European Commission was informed that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will be the designated competent authority for the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation in Ireland.

The new regulation, which replaces the EU Timber Regulations (No. 995/2010) will enter into application on 30th December 2024 and will set mandatory obligations for operators and traders to ensure inter alia that:

1. relevant products are deforestation free (produced on land not subject to deforestation after 31st December 2020) and have not contributed to forest degradation,

2. have been produced in accordance with the relevant legislation of the country of production and,

3. are covered by a due diligence statement.

The implications of this timeline are that operators and traders now have a 12-month preparation period in which to ensure they can comply with the requirements of the regulation.

To help supply chain actors with this preparation, the European Commission has published a set of frequently asked questions, which can be accessed here.

EUTR Annual Report 2022

EUTR Annual Report 2021

EUTR Annual Report 2020

EUTR Annual Report 2019

• EU Timber Regulation – Regulation (EU) No. 995/2010
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No. 363/2012
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 607/2012

[document 109278 ]

• EUTR SI No 316 of 2014: European Union (Placing Timber and Timber Products on the Market) Regulations‌‌
• EUTR Approved Monitoring Organisations
• European Commission: EU Timber Regulation & FLEGT Regulation

Guidance for EUTR Operators and Traders

Changes to FLEGT Licencing

From 1st July 2024 FLEGT licences will have to be claimed by the importer or agent. In order to do this you will first have to be registered on TRACES as a FLEGT user.

For more information on TRACES and how to register please follow the link - gov - TRACES (www.gov.ie)

For more information on the procedure of filling out and claiming a FLEGT licence please follow this link official to the European Commission’s website - FLEGT (europa.eu)

• FLEGT Implementing Regulation – Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1024/2008
• VPA Indonesia
• DELEGATED REG. EU 2016-1387 VPA Update
• FLEGT REG. 2173-2005
• FLEGT Licensing: S.I. No. 251 of 2015
• European Commission: EU Timber Regulation & FLEGT Regulation

• EU FLEGT Facility

• FLEGT: Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade
• EUTR: European Union Timber Regulation
• EC: European Commission
• VPA: Voluntary Partnership Agreement
• CA: Competent Authority
• FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization (of the United Nations)
• UNEP-WCMC: United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre