Signing VPA/FLEGT this year
Signing the VPA/FLEGT Agreement is expected to promote export of timber and timber products into the EU. Picture: Nguyễn Thanh. |
The signing of the agreement was mentioned by Ambassador Bruno Angelet, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam at the National Consultation Workshop on VPA/ FLEGT held by the General Directorate of Forestry of Vietnam (the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) on 21st October, in Ha Noi.
VPA/FLEGT is an agreement that Vietnam and EU have been negotiating for several years, with strong determination, said Bruno Angelet. Now, the two parties have agreed and expect to hold the signing ceremony, ending formally negotiations, this year.
“However, finishing negotiations and signing the new agreement is the first step, following is a lot of work to do. Changing the initial habits on planting, exploitations or production is not simple. Therefore, for the implementation period, the EU and Vietnam need closer coordination to ensure that the agreement is implemented correctly within its contents and objectives”, said Bruno Angelet.
Speaking at the Workshop, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, Deputy Director General of the Administration of Forestry, VPA/FLECGT chief negotiator of Vietnam said: Negotiations began on 11th May, 2010 and until now, Vietnam negotiators hosted by MARD in collaboration with other ministries and branches, and the Viet Nam Timber and Forest Products Association have carried out 16 technical negotiating sessions, 8 high level negotiating sessions, and now, have entered the final stage, prepared to reach agreement.
The aims of the VPA/FLEGT negotiations with the EU are to expand export of timber and woodwork products into EU through Vietnam’s commitment to build Vietnam’s Timber Legality Assurance System (VNTLAS) to grant FLEGT licences to timber and timber products exported to EU.
In turn, FLEGT-licensed timber and timber products will not need legal origin of timber as stipulated by EU timber regulation (EUTR 995/2010), in effect from March, 2013.
Ms. Nguyen Tuong Van, the deputy head of the Administration Science, Technology and International Co-operation Department (General Directorate of Forestry) said: FLEGT licences are only granted by the countries which sign a VPA Agreement with the EU.
Now, 9 countries have been negotiating the Agreement with the EU, in which 6 countries have wrapped up negotiations including: Indonesia, Leberia, Congo, Ghana, Cameron, and the Central African Republic.
Among the countries mentioned above, Indonesia is the first country which has licenced-FLRGT shipments, expected on 15th November. This is a positive sign as it means timber and timber products from Indonesia are legal. Vietnam also imports wood materials from Indonesia, thus, the imported goods for furniture products are legal, and then, those products are exported into the EU easily, conveniently without declaration of legal origin of timber.
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