Indonesia–EU forestry diplomacy in the EUDR era

Jakarta - Indonesia and the European Union have again strengthened their partnership in the forestry sector by placing sustainability, legality, traceability and market access as the main agenda.

The strengthening of cooperation was discussed through the 11th Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) within the framework of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade-Voluntary Partnership Agreement (FLEGT-VPA).

Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, Laksmi Wijayanti, recently said Indonesia is committed to maintaining sustainable, transparent and accountable forest governance. This commitment is realised, among other things, through the implementation of the Timber Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK) and FLEGT.

These instruments are not only intended to ensure the legality of timber products, but also to strengthen the traceability of forest products so as to provide certainty to the international market.

The European Union Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, Denis Chaibi, said FLEGT remains relevant in the context of EUDR implementation. Timber products with a FLEGT Licence receive a special position in fulfilling legality aspects.

Since 2003, the European Union has built a framework through FLEGT to reduce illegal timber trade. Indonesia then became one of its most important partners. In 2013, the two parties signed the FLEGT-VPA and since 2016 Indonesia has become the first country to issue FLEGT licences for timber exports to the European market.

In essence, FLEGT is an interesting diplomatic compromise. The European Union needs assurance that timber entering its market is legal. Indonesia needs market access as well as recognition of the governance system it has built.