WRITTEN QUESTION E-3400/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(21 December 2001)

Subject: Recent destruction of natural forests in northern Russia by illegal logging and smuggling of timber into the EU

1. Is the Commission aware of the report in the New Scientist, 13 October 2001, concerning the World Resources Institute (WRI)s conclusion that the boreal forests of northern Russia have been 'reduced to fragments, broken up by logging, mines, farms, roads and power lines?

2. Is the Commission aware that, according to that report, only one-seventh of Russia's European forests survive as large undisturbed blocks of trees covering 50 000 hectares or more (the minimum required to preserve a fully intact ecosystem that can support large animals and regenerate after storm or fire)?

3. Is the Commission aware that, according to that report, illegal logging and timber-smuggling are largely responsible for this destruction, that an estimated 2,2 million cubic metres of timber are exported illegally each year across the border to Finland and that, moreover, most illegally felled wood goes to countries in Western Europe?

4. What steps does the Commission propose to take to aid Russia in repairing the damage caused by this illegal trade?

5. What steps does the Commission propose to take to put an end to this destruction and harmful trade whilst there are still some forests left?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2002)

The Commission is aware of the article in New Scientist (NS), 13 October 2001, on boreal forests of northern Russia. The Commission is also familiar with the World Resources Institute/Global Forest Watch (WRI/GFW) report upon which much of the article is based. Community staff recently met with Mr Laestadius (mentioned in the NS Article) to discuss North-West Russian forestry issues.

The Joint Research Centre of the Commission has for the last two years been working with the Russian Academy of Sciences' Centre for Ecology Problems and Forest Productivity through the SibTREES project in order to develop a pan-Russian forest monitoring system based on satellite image analysis, to identify hot-spots of forest clearance, to quantify rates of change and to identify and map intact forests for the entire Russian territory. It is worth noting that the area covered by the WRI report accounts for less than 15 % of Russia's forest areas and that the threat to remaining forests is not just restricted to the Northern European region.

In addition, through the Tacis Programme, the Commission has an ongoing programme to finance forest related projects in Russia:

(a) Forest resource management in the North-West Russia ( 2,5 million);

(b) Improvements in forest fire response system ( 1,95 million out of 4,8 million for assistance to the environmental sector); and

(c) Paanajarvi Park Development and Management under the Cross Border Cooperation (CBC) programme ( 3,5 million). Tacis assistance is also envisaged in support of the implementation of the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol.

At the international level, combating illegal logging is one of the five elements of the Group of eight most industrialized countries (G8) Action programme on forests. The Commission is currently looking into how to follow-up the G8 Okinawa Summit Declaration which states inter alia that the G8 will consider how best to combat illegal logging, including export and procurement practices and the Common Position of the sixth Environment Action Plan (EAP) which includes the priority action to examine the possibilities to take active measures to prevent and combat trade in illegally harvested wood. Illegal logging is a complex issue that needs to take into account a range of influences and factors, including trade but also measures on governance, capacity building and technical assistance. It is also taken into account in the discussions held at the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In addition, the Commission is identifying possible actions to follow-up on the Declaration on combating illegal logging and forest crimes of the Ministerial Conference on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) in Indonesia in September 2001, and is developing a dialogue with the Member States and other stakeholders in this respect. The Commission is also convinced that developing transparency is a way to address the issue and this is part of several of Community's recent commitments linked to good governance.