Papers by Alexandru Giurca
Raised public concern in the European Union (EU) about the legality of its timber imports has pus... more Raised public concern in the European Union (EU) about the legality of its timber imports has pushed the European Commission to raise its standards and legality demands for wood imports. Combining literature reviews, structured interviews and trade data analyses, this study assesses the potential influence from Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) (with its Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) system and new legislation EU Timber Regulation (EUTR)), and third party verification schemes on the timber trade between tropical countries and Europe. These instruments have the potential to reduce the amount of illegally sourced timber being placed on the market, and they seem to have resulted in both increasing support of legality verification and certification uptake. However, there are signs of increased ambiguity in trade that could originate as a side effect of the transition towards a stricter regulation for tropical timber. Such ambiguity is explicitly taken into account here. Possible consequences from increased ambiguity are substitution of oak lumber for tropical hardwood lumber, and a diversion of exports of tropical timber to destinations with a less stringent regulatory framework than the EU. Evidence of these trade patterns in the literature reviews, interviews, and trade data analyses seems to confirm that ambiguity in international trade markets has actually increased since the introduction of these instruments
The implementation of the FSC Pesticide Policy in Sweden has proven to be successful both in decr... more The implementation of the FSC Pesticide Policy in Sweden has proven to be successful both in decreasing the use of pesticides and consequently in promoting the development of environmentally friendly mechanical protection techniques. Over the past four years, FSC Sweden’s certificate holders have made significant efforts towards eliminating chemical pesticides from certified forest management units. The developments we are witnessing presently are the result of a long, demanding process that was initiated by the labor union and the environmental chamber but initially faced with reluctance by the forest industry. Indeed, some certificate holders have had remarkable success during the last few years by almost entirely eliminating pesticides during forest regeneration already by 2014. Predictions indicate that pesticide applications will cease completely in many certified units in the near future. However, there are still challenges that forest owners and managers need to overcome. Geo...
The trade of illegal timber, often from illegal logging, has severe environmental, social and eco... more The trade of illegal timber, often from illegal logging, has severe environmental, social and economic consequences. The EU’s response to this problem came with the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, with its specific goal to end illegal logging, thereby improving sustainability of forest resources. In March 2013, an additional step was taken by implementing the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). The EUTR requires proof of timber’s origin and legality to ensure that no illegal timber is imported into the EU. To this end the EU intends to block imports of any wood or wood product which comes from unknown sources. Certification of sustainable forest management will help EU importers minimize risk, which is an essential part of their required due diligence system. Monitoring organizations are established to assist trade associations and businesses to construct comprehensive due diligence systems. National competent authorities are designated to follow the trade...
Implemented in March 2013, the EU Timber Regulation is affecting hardwood exporters and importers... more Implemented in March 2013, the EU Timber Regulation is affecting hardwood exporters and importers. The EUTR requires proof of timber’s origin and legality to ensure that no illegal timber is imported into the EU. The EUTR is part of the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, with its specific goal to end illegal logging, thereby improving sustainability of forest resources. To this end the EU intends to block imports of any wood or wood product which comes from unknown sources. Certification of SFM will help EU importers minimize risk, which is an essential part of their required due diligence system. Monitoring organizations are established to assist trade associations and businesses to construct comprehensive due diligence systems. National competent authorities are designated to follow the trade of the new FLEGT-licensed timber and timber products. In 2013, the first year of the EUTR, there are positive impacts, of which the most important is aware...
iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, 2015
Forests, 2013
Raised public concern in the European Union (EU) about the legality of its timber imports has pus... more Raised public concern in the European Union (EU) about the legality of its timber imports has pushed the European Commission to raise its standards and legality demands for wood imports. Combining literature reviews, structured interviews and trade data analyses, this study assesses the potential influence from Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) (with its Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) system and new legislation EU Timber Regulation (EUTR)), and third party verification schemes on the timber trade between tropical countries and Europe. These instruments have the potential to reduce the amount of illegally sourced timber being placed on the market, and they seem to have resulted in both increasing support of legality verification and certification uptake. However, there are signs of increased ambiguity in trade that could originate as a side effect of the transition towards a stricter regulation for tropical timber. Such ambiguity is explicitly taken into account here. Possible consequences from increased ambiguity are substitution of oak lumber for tropical hardwood lumber, and a diversion of exports of tropical timber to destinations with a less stringent regulatory framework than the EU. Evidence of these trade patterns in the literature reviews,
The EU Timber Regulation and FLEGT Action Plan aim to combat illegal timber logging and trade, an... more The EU Timber Regulation and FLEGT Action Plan aim to combat illegal timber logging and trade, and improve forest governance. In 2015, FLEGT has been in force for 12 years, and the EUTR for two years. What does scientific evidence say about the effectiveness and impacts of these policy measures? The results of the new EFI policy study “Assessment of the EU Timber Regulation and the FLEGT Action Plan” have been presented at a ThinkForest seminar at the European Parliament, Brussels on 21 April.
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Papers by Alexandru Giurca