Posted on December, 13 2019

The report identifies implementation gaps as well as good practices, which do not necessarily apply to all the 16 Member States, although many of the gaps and shortcomings appear common and widespread. 

The report provides concrete recommendations for Member States and the European Commission, including:

• The European Commission should carry out a thorough analysis of penalties and sanctions at national level and their deterrent effect, and set up a multi-stakeholder platform to discuss the findings;  
• Checks at national level should be carried out based on regularly updated inspection plans, using the latest available information, cover both domestic and imported timber products and their risk level to be illegal, and set clear targets and timelines for inspection plans;
• Capacities at national level must be strengthened to ensure good coverage of operators and allow for regular and frequent checks, which must thoroughly assess operators;
• Regional cooperation should be encouraged for better harmonisation through regional exchanges amongst CAs to align approaches and to share experiences.

The majority of recommendations are relevant to all 16 countries analysed, and to Member States that were not part of the review. 

For more information about specific country assessments, please contact our experts in WWF national offices.