Vietnam, EU to Discuss FLEGT Deployment
Vietnam and the EU are to hold the first round of formal negotiations on a bilateral Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) in Hanoi by late November.
At the first VPA preparatory meeting on August 16, both sides raised hopes that the negotiations will conclude with the signing of a voluntary partnership agreement by the end of 2012.
The agreement is expected to create conditions for Vietnam’s timber producers to improve their position on the EU market and increase their ability to adapt to EU market requirements with respect to the legality of timber.
The agreement aims to establish control and licensing procedures in timber producing and processing countries to ensure that only timber products derived from legally harvested timber enter the EU.
The VPA is the first step to ensure the exports of timber and timber products from Vietnam to the EU continue smoothly in years to come, said Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hua Duc Nhi.
In the long run, the VPA will give legal certainty and bankable guarantees to exporters, importers and investors in the timber sector willing to trade with the EU, the official added.
The FLEGT will come into force from January 2012, demanding the transparency of forest products in all fields, from exploitation to end-products.
Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest timber furniture suppliers and the EU is the second largest market of Vietnamese timber products, following the U.S.
Vietnam exported US$1.9 billion worth of timber and woodwork in the Jan-July period, up 31% on-year.
But its imports of timber and other timber products rose 33% from a year earlier to US$605 million during the period. (VNA)
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