Summary points:

Consumer countries contribute to the problems of illegal logging by importing timber and wood products without ensuring that they are legally sourced. Over the last few years, however, consumer countries have taken a series of measures to try to ensure that they exclude illegal timber products from their markets.

The bilateral voluntary partnership agreements negotiated between the EU and timberproducing countries, which will establish a licensing scheme for legal timber, offer one of the best ways of controlling the trade but will be slow to establish.

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