Finland fights against illegal logging

Finland has played an active role in preparing the introduction of the EU-FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licensing scheme. Finland has been involved in drawing up the requirements for the verification of legality and related monitoring, and works together with other EU Member States to create a system that is both cost-efficient and reliable. Finland has participated in the preparatory work which lays the foundation for a Communication of the European Commission on further action to prevent illegal logging.

Finland and Finnish forest industry are aware of the problem of illegal logging in the context of wood imports from Russia. Finland considers that the systems for tracing the origin of wood developed by the Finnish forest industry are a major step forward in preventing the import of wood that may be illegal.

Finland is satisfied with the environmental awareness of the Finnish forest industry and the willingness to pioneer, on a voluntary basis, in finding out the origin of wood. Finnish forest industry has developed systems for tracing the origin of wood since 1996. This, on the global scale quite unique, experience in the realisation of such tracing systems on a large scale and in demanding and rapidly changing conditions will also be useful in the development and implementation of the EU-FLEGT.

The definition of illegal logging is of primary importance so that we can take efficient action to fight against illegal logging and related trade. The current action of Greenpeace can also be seen as an important opening for the international discussion on the definition of illegal wood: who should establish legality and who can determine that a certain action is illegal. In general, it is considered that actions must comply with the laws and official practices of the country where they take place. Each state enforces the laws and other norms and allocates sufficient resources for this. The law enforcement authorities, ultimately the courts of law, establish the legality or illegality of actions.

Further information at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Aarne Reunala, Director-General, tel. +358 (0)9 160 53350, +358 (0)40 043 7222
Anders Portin, Counsellor of Forestry, tel. +358 (0)40 586 6179