The Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine says that the current ban on the export of wood serves the needs of some vested interests in the wood processing industry, allowing them to get exclusive and unrestricted access to forestry resources in order to exploit them for themselves. It notes that a ban on timber exports will not prevent illegal logging.
According to the EU Delegation, the reason the EU opposes the current wood ban is because it is a restriction on free trade. It is against Ukraine's international commitments under the World Trade Organization and the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. If Ukraine decided it wanted to protect more of its forests - including more of the unique biosphere in the Carpathians - the EU would be supportive," the EU Delegation said in a statement.
As was reported, Ukraine's parliament on April 9, 2015, passed a bill to introduce a 10-year moratorium on the export of wood and timber. A partial ban on all types of wood but pinetree became effective on November 1, 2015. The full ban is to be introduced as of January 1, 2017.The ban is said to be an obstacle to a third EUR 600 million tranche of EU macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.
