Making furniture in Thuong Tin, Hanoi (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and the EU havejust concluded negotiations for a voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) onForest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), according to the EUdelegation to Vietnam on May 16.
The agreement is expected to improve forestmanagement, deter illegal logging, and boost trade of Vietnamese legal timberproducts with the EU and other markets.
After nearly six years of negotiation, theagreement, recently initialed by Astrid Schomaker, Director for GlobalSustainable Development at the European Commission's Directorate General forthe Environment, and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Ha Cong Tuan, marks the official completion of the negotiations.
The agreement is now under legal review and shallbe ratified by the two sides before becoming effective.
In order to implement the VPA, Vietnam willdevelop a timber legality assurance system (VNTLAS) in order to ensure alltimber and timber products from a partner country comply with the law of thatcountry.
The agreement also requires establishment ofindependent petition and evaluation mechanisms, as well as commitments amongconcerned partners in implementing and public disclosure of information.
A joint committee will supervise the VPAimplementation. The two sides have also agreed on key factors needed inpreparation for the implementation of the agreement.
Once the VPA is fully implemented, all timber andtimber products destined for the EU market will be required to be enclosed withFLEGT licences to prove their legality.
Vietnam will begin issuing FLEGT licences whenthe timber legality assurance system has been successfully tested to ensurethat all commitments as described in the VPA have been satisfied and in linewith the criteria stated in the agreement’s appendixes.
Besides economic, social and environmental benefits, the FLEGTlicences are expected to facilitate wood exporters’ activities.
Vietnam is among 15 countries negotiating the VPAwith the EU.
Indonesia was the first Asian country to initiala VPA, with FLEGT licencing beginning on November 15, 2016.-VNA
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