Please download the Document here below:

Briefingnote vietnam FINAL.pdf

Today Fern, SRD and the VNGO FLEGT network release a briefing “The long road to legality” outlining civil society’s reaction to the recent signing of a timber trade agreement (voluntary partnership agreement (VPA)) between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam.

This VPA has the potential to offer preferential access to the EU market for timber products coming from Vietnam, under the condition that substantial improvements are made to the way forests are managed. As Vietnam imports a great deal of timber that it subsequently exports, it could have significant knock-on impacts on other forested countries.

This briefing assesses how the VPA has assisted the fight against illegal timber in Vietnam. It also looks at what steps must be taken during the deal’s implementation phase, and before FLEGT licenses - guaranteeing that timber from Vietnam has been harvested, processed and exported legally – can be issued

It concludes that civil society must keep scrutinising the implementation process and providing recommendations to improve forest governance, and this trade deal provides a vehicle for that to happen.

For more Information, please consult the following PDF Documents: