Decision No 4 of the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism set up by the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Ghana on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in timber products into the Community as regards amendments to its Annex I [2025/1990]
Date: 2024-11-06
Institutions: European Union, Ghana, Joint Committee
Subjects: Ghana, cooperation agreement (EU), forestry legislation, import (EU), international convention, product designation, revision of an agreement, surveillance concerning imports, sustainable forest management, wood product








L_202501990EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2025/1990


8.10.2025






Decision No 4 of the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism set up by the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Ghana on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in timber products into the Community as regards amendments to its Annex I [2025/1990]


THE JOINT MONITORING AND REVIEW MECHANISM,

Having regard to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Ghana on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in timber products into the Community, which following ratification by the Parties entered into force on 1 December 2009 following its ratification by the Parties,

Whereas:







(1)


Pursuant to point 3 of Article 26 the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Ghana on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in timber products into the Community (‘the Agreement’) the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism (JMRM) may adopt amendments to the Annexes to the Agreement.












(2)


Pursuant to Decision No 3 of 26 September 2023, the JMRM adopted amendments to Annexes I, II, IV and V to the Agreement.












(3)


Annex I to the Agreement sets out the timber and wood products covered by the FLEGT Licensing Scheme. The timber and wood products are identified on the basis of their Harmonised (HS) code that in accordance with Article 2 point (d) of the Agreement is defined as the six-digit code set out in the Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding system established by the international convention on the harmonised commodity description and coding system of the World Customs Organisation.












(4)


The World Customs Organisation adopted amendments to the international convention on the harmonised commodity description and coding system, including in relation to the six-digit codes applicable to the timber and wood products set out in Annex I to the Agreement. These amendments entered into force on 1 January 2022.












(5)


The HS codes of the timber and wood products set out in Annex I to the Agreement, as amended pursuant to Decision No 3 of 26 September 2023, must be updated to align to the amendments to the international convention on the harmonised commodity description and coding system.





HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:



Article 1
Annex I to the Agreement is replaced by the Annex to this decision.


Article 2
This decision shall be drawn up in duplicate in the Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, German, Estonian, Greek, English, French, Irish, Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish and Swedish languages, each of these texts being authentic. In case of divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.


Article 3
This decision shall enter into force on 1 January 2025.




Done in Accra, Ghana on 6 November 2024.


For the Republic of Ghana

Hon. Samuel A. JINAPOR
            

Minister of Lands and Natural Resources




For the European Union

H.E. Irchad RAZAALY
            

European Union Ambassador to Ghana








ANNEX



‘ANNEX I

PRODUCT COVERAGE

The list in this Annex refers to the Harmonised Commodity Description established by the International Convention on the Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System of the World Customs Union.
THE HARMONISED COMMODITY CODES FOR TIMBER AND WOOD PRODUCTS COVERED UNDER THE VPA







Heading


HS subheading


Description





Chapter 44:



 


 





4403



 



Wood in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly squared





 


 








–


Treated with paint, stains, creosote or other preservatives:








 


4403 11 








– –


Coniferous








 


4403 12 








– –


Non-coniferous








 


 








–


Other, of tropical wood:








 


4403 49 








– –


Other









4406



 



Railway or tramway sleepers (cross-ties) of wood





 


 








–


Not impregnated:








 


4406 11 








– –


Coniferous








 


4406 12 








– –


Non-coniferous








 


 








–


Other:








 


4406 91 








– –


Coniferous








 


4406 92 








– –


Non-coniferous









4407



 



Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed, of a thickness exceeding 6 mm





 


 








–


Coniferous:








 


4407 11 








– –


Of pine (Pinus spp.)








 


4407 19 








– –


Other








 


 








–


Of tropical wood:








 


4407 21 








– –


Mahogany (Swietenia spp.)








 


4407 27 








– –


Sapelli








 


4407 28 








– –


Iroko








 


4407 29 








– –


Other








 


 








–


Other








 


ex 4407 99 








– –


Other (not from bamboo or rattan)









4408



 



Sheets for veneering (including those obtained by slicing laminated wood), for plywood or for similar laminated wood and other wood, sawn lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded, spliced or end-jointed, of a thickness not exceeding 6 mm





 


4408 10 








–


Coniferous








 


 








–


Of tropical wood:








 


4408 39 








– –


Other








 


ex 4408 90 








–


Other (not from bamboo or rattan)









4409



 



Wood (including strips and friezes for parquet flooring, not assembled) continuously shaped (tongued, grooved, rebated, chamfered, V-jointed, beaded, moulded, rounded or the like) along any of its edges, ends or faces, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed





 


4409 10 








–


Coniferous








 


 








–


Non-coniferous:








 


4409 22 








– –


Of tropical wood








 


ex 4409 29 








– –


Other (not from rattan)









4412



 



Plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood





 


 








–


Other plywood, consisting solely of sheets of wood (other than bamboo), each ply not exceeding 6 mm thickness:








 


4412 31 








– –


With at least one outer ply of tropical wood








 


4412 33 








– –


Other, with at least one outer ply of non-coniferous wood of the species alder (Alnus spp.) ash (Fraxinus spp.) beech (Fagus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), cherry (Prunus spp.), chestnut (Castanea spp.), elm (Ulmus spp.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), horse chestnut (Aesculus spp.), lime (Tilia spp.), maple (Acer spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), plane tree (Platanus spp.), poplar and aspen (Populus spp.), robinia (Robinia spp.), tulipwood (Liriodendron spp.) or walnut (Juglans spp.)








 


4412 34 








– –


Other, with at least one outer ply of non-coniferous wood not specified under subheading 4412 33








 


4412 39 








– –


Other, with both outer piles of coniferous wood








 


 








–


Blockboard, laminboard and battenboard








 


ex 4412 51 








– –


With at least one outer ply of tropical wood (not from rattan)








 


ex 4412 52 








– –


Other, with at least one outer ply of non-coniferous wood (not from rattan)








 


ex 4412 59 








– –


Other, with bozth outer plies of coniferous wood (not from rattan)








 


 








–


Other








 


ex 4412 91 








– –


With at least one outer ply of tropical wood (not from rattan)








 


ex 4412 92 








– –


Other, with at least one outer ply of non-coniferous wood (not from rattan)








 


ex 4412 99 








– –


Other, with both outer plies of coniferous wood (not from rattan)









4418



 



Builders’ joinery and carpentry of wood, including cellular wood panels, assembled flooring panels, shingles and shakes





 


 








–


Windows, French-windows and their frames








 


4418 11 








– –


Of tropical wood








 


ex 4418 19 








– –


Other (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


 








–


Doors and their frames and thresholds








 


4418 21 








– –


Of tropical wood








 


ex 4418 29 








– –


Other (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


ex 4418 40 








–


Shuttering for concrete constructional work (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


ex 4418 50 








–


Shingles and shakes (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


ex 4418 30 








–


Posts and beams other than products of subheadings 4418 81 to 4418 89 (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


 








–


Assembled flooring panels:








 


4418 74 








– –


Other, for mosaic floors








 


4418 75 








– –


Other, multilayer








 


ex 4418 79 








– –


Other (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


 








–


Engineered structural timber products








 


ex 4418 81 








– –


Glue-laminated timber (glulam) (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


ex 4418 82 








– –


Cross-laminated timber (CLT or X-lam) (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


ex 4418 83 








– –


I beams (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


ex 4418 89 








– –


Other (not from bamboo or rattan)








 


 








–


Other:








 


ex 4418 92 








– –


Cellular wood panels (not from rattan)








 


ex 4418 99 








– –


Other (not from rattan)









Chapter 94 :



 


 





9401



 



Seats (other than those of heading 9402), whether or not convertible into beds, and parts thereof





 


 








–


Parts








 


ex 9401 91 








– –


Of wood (not from bamboo or rattan)









9403



 



Other furniture and parts thereof





 


9403 30 








–


Wooden furniture of a kind used in offices








 


9403 40 








–


Wooden furniture of a kind used in the kitchen








 


9403 50 








–


Wooden furniture of a kind used in the bedroom








 


9403 60 








–


Other wooden furniture








 


 








–


Parts








 


ex 9403 91 








– –


Of wood (not of bamboo or rattan)










            ’
         



ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1990/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)