BETA


2020/0157(NLE) EU/Honduras Voluntary Partnership Agreement: forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the EU

Progress: Procedure completed, awaiting publication in Official Journal

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead INTA KARLSBRO Karin (icon: Renew Renew) WARBORN Jörgen (icon: EPP EPP), KUMPULA-NATRI Miapetra (icon: S&D S&D), HAUTALA Heidi (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), TARCZYŃSKI Dominik (icon: ECR ECR), MAUREL Emmanuel (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Committee Opinion DEVE BENTELE Hildegard (icon: EPP EPP) Ryszard CZARNECKI (icon: ECR ECR), Charles GOERENS (icon: RE RE), Michèle RIVASI (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), Patrizia TOIA (icon: S&D S&D), Miguel URBÁN CRESPO (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
TFEU 207-p3, TFEU 207-p4, TFEU 218-p6a, TFEU 218-p7

Events

2021/05/26
   EP/CSL - Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
2021/04/27
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 632 votes to 23 with 38 abstentions a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Honduras on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union.

Following the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade, Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.

The European Union published its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003. The plan aims to combat illegal logging around the world.

In particular, the EU-Honduras Voluntary Partnership Agreement establishes the framework, institutions and mechanisms of the timber legality assurance system for the FLEGT licensing scheme. It also sets out the framework for monitoring legal compliance and independent auditing of the system.

The agreement includes a clear commitment by Honduras to develop legislation to ensure that timber imported into Honduras has been legally harvested in accordance with the applicable legislation of the country where the timber was harvested.

Documents
2021/03/24
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
Details

The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Honduras on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union.

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.

The EU published its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003. The plan aims to combat illegal logging around the world.

By entering Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) with timber producing third countries, the EU opens for imports of legally sourced timber and timber products to enter the Single Market. These agreements are binding trade agreements. They also contribute to better regulation and governance of the forest sector in the exporting country.

Honduras was the first Latin American country to initiate and successfully conclude negotiations for a VPA with the EU. These negotiations started in 2013 and were completed in 2018. Honduras is also the first VPA partner that has included indigenous peoples as a separate interest group at the negotiating table.

For the EU, this agreement is in line with its objectives under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, the Aichi Targets of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030. Within these frameworks, it is committed to, inter alia, encouraging sustainable forest management, combating deforestation and forest degradation and promoting sustainable development.

The Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the EU and Honduras:

- establishes the framework, institutions and systems for the timber legality assurance system for the FLEGT licensing scheme;

- sets out the framework for monitoring compliance and for independent evaluation of the system;

- includes a clear commitment by Honduras to develop legislation to ensure that timber imported in Honduras has been legally harvested in compliance with the applicable legislation in the country of harvest;

- establishes a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Honduras on the FLEGT licensing scheme, via a Joint Implementation Committee;

- establishes principles of stakeholder participation, social safeguards, accountability and transparency, and mechanisms for complaints on, monitoring of and reporting on implementation of the Agreement.

The Agreement makes provision for import controls at the EU’s borders, as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 on the FLEGT licensing scheme and Regulation (EC) No 1024/2008 laying down detailed measures for implementing it.

Documents
2021/03/18
   EP - Vote in committee
2021/03/08
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/01/27
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/12/21
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2020/12/08
   CSL - Legislative proposal
Documents
2020/12/08
   EC - Legislative proposal published
Documents
2020/11/23
   EP - BENTELE Hildegard (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in DEVE
2020/09/10
   EP - KARLSBRO Karin (Renew) appointed as rapporteur in INTA
2020/07/29
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
2020/07/29
   EC - Preparatory document
2020/07/29
   EP - Preparatory document

Documents

Votes

Accord de partenariat volontaire Union/Honduras - EU/Honduras Voluntary Partnership Agreement - Freiwilliges Partnerschaftsabkommen EU/Honduras - A9-0053/2021 - Karin Karlsbro - Procédure d'approbation #

2021/04/26 Outcome: +: 632, 0: 38, -: 23
IT FR DE ES PL RO HU SE NL BE CZ AT BG PT SK FI DK LT IE HR EL LV SI EE MT LU CY
Total
73
77
95
58
51
33
21
21
29
20
21
19
17
21
14
13
14
11
13
10
21
8
8
7
6
6
6
icon: PPE PPE
172

Hungary PPE

1

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2
2
icon: S&D S&D
145

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Lithuania S&D

2

Greece S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
96

Italy Renew

2

Hungary Renew

2
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Slovakia Renew

2

Finland Renew

3

Lithuania Renew

1

Ireland Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
71

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
62

Germany ECR

For (1)

1

Romania ECR

1

Netherlands ECR

4

Belgium ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

1

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Greece ECR

1

Latvia ECR

2
icon: ID ID
71

Netherlands ID

Against (1)

1

Czechia ID

For (1)

Against (1)

2
3

Finland ID

1

Denmark ID

For (1)

1

Estonia ID

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
37

Germany NI

Abstain (1)

2

Netherlands NI

1

Slovakia NI

2

Lithuania NI

1

Croatia NI

Abstain (1)

1
icon: The Left The Left
39

Germany The Left

Against (1)

5

Sweden The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Czechia The Left

1

Portugal The Left

4

Finland The Left

Abstain (1)

1

Denmark The Left

Against (1)

1

Ireland The Left

For (1)

4

Cyprus The Left

2

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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2021-06-18T00:00:00
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  • The European Parliament adopted by 632 votes to 23 with 38 abstentions a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Honduras on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union.
  • Following the recommendation of the Committee on International Trade, Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.
  • The European Union published its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003. The plan aims to combat illegal logging around the world.
  • In particular, the EU-Honduras Voluntary Partnership Agreement establishes the framework, institutions and mechanisms of the timber legality assurance system for the FLEGT licensing scheme. It also sets out the framework for monitoring legal compliance and independent auditing of the system.
  • The agreement includes a clear commitment by Honduras to develop legislation to ensure that timber imported into Honduras has been legally harvested in accordance with the applicable legislation of the country where the timber was harvested.
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  • The Committee on International Trade adopted the report by Karin KARLSBRO (Renew, SE) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Honduras on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union.
  • The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.
  • The EU published its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in 2003. The plan aims to combat illegal logging around the world.
  • By entering Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) with timber producing third countries, the EU opens for imports of legally sourced timber and timber products to enter the Single Market. These agreements are binding trade agreements. They also contribute to better regulation and governance of the forest sector in the exporting country.
  • Honduras was the first Latin American country to initiate and successfully conclude negotiations for a VPA with the EU. These negotiations started in 2013 and were completed in 2018. Honduras is also the first VPA partner that has included indigenous peoples as a separate interest group at the negotiating table.
  • For the EU, this agreement is in line with its objectives under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, the Aichi Targets of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030. Within these frameworks, it is committed to, inter alia, encouraging sustainable forest management, combating deforestation and forest degradation and promoting sustainable development.
  • The Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the EU and Honduras:
  • - establishes the framework, institutions and systems for the timber legality assurance system for the FLEGT licensing scheme;
  • - sets out the framework for monitoring compliance and for independent evaluation of the system;
  • - includes a clear commitment by Honduras to develop legislation to ensure that timber imported in Honduras has been legally harvested in compliance with the applicable legislation in the country of harvest;
  • - establishes a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Honduras on the FLEGT licensing scheme, via a Joint Implementation Committee;
  • - establishes principles of stakeholder participation, social safeguards, accountability and transparency, and mechanisms for complaints on, monitoring of and reporting on implementation of the Agreement.
  • The Agreement makes provision for import controls at the EU’s borders, as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 on the FLEGT licensing scheme and Regulation (EC) No 1024/2008 laying down detailed measures for implementing it.
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  • Treaty on the Functioning of the EU TFEU 218-p6a
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  • PURPOSE: to conclude the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Honduras on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in Timber Products to the European Union.
  • PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
  • ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.
  • BACKGROUND: in May 2003, the Commission adopted an Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), which called for measures to combat illegal logging through the development of voluntary partnership agreements with timber-producing countries. The Action Plan was endorsed by the Council in 2003 and the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the subject on 7 July 2005.
  • In 2005, the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 on the establishment of a FLEGT licensing scheme for imports of timber into the European Community, a mechanism that enables verification of the legality of timber imported into the EU under the FLEGT partnerships.
  • Also in 2005, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate FLEGT partnership agreements with timber-producing countries. The Commission entered into negotiations with Honduras in 2013. The Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the EU and Honduras (Agreement) addresses all elements of the Council negotiating directives.
  • CONTENT: the Commission proposes that the Council decide to approve, on behalf of the European Union, the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Honduras on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union.
  • The agreement provides a legal framework to ensure that all imports into the EU of timber and timber products covered by the agreement from Honduras have been legally harvested.
  • The agreement does not only promote trade in legally harvested timber, but it also aims to strengthen forest governance in Honduras by improving transparency, accountability and stakeholder participation. Since the implementation of the Agreement will reinforce sustainable forest management this initiative will also contribute to combating climate change through reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.