EU terminates timber agreement with Cameroon over illegal logging concerns.

The information is contained in a statement made public by the EU Commission. According to the note, the termination will take effect no later than November 30, 2024, which is way ahead of the agreement's official expiration date in 2025.

The termination of the agreement, it should be said, will thus put an end to a 13-year attempt to control deforestation through a legal framework aimed at ensuring sustainable timber exports from Cameroon to EU markets.  

“Logging in Cameroon still partly relies on small-scale permits that do not require management plans. National control systems are not operational, leaving regulations poorly enforced and governance weak, enabling the continuation of illegal logging operations, which harm the environment,” the Commission explained in its statement.

According to the EU Commission, Cameroon, has failed to meet all the obligations taken during the signing ceremony.

The EU, in the statement, noted that it has carried out investigations which have exposed the extent of the problem, highlighting the involvement of private companies, both foreign and domestic, as well as public sector actors in the illegal timber trade. These illegal operations reportedly represent millions of dollars-worth of unsanctioned wood extraction.

One of the key grievances highlighted by the EU is the redirection of Cameroonian timber exports towards Asian markets, particularly China. 

The shift, it noted, has diluted the economic incentive for Cameroon to maintain the VPA with the EU, weakening the leverage that the agreement once had.

The European Union has also expressed concern that continuing the partnership without meaningful changes could damage its own credibility as a leader in forest protection and biodiversity. 

The VPA, according to the EU, is a critical tool in the global fight against deforestation and illegal logging, and allowing it to fail without consequence risks undermining its international leadership role in these areas.

“Continuing the VPA despite these challenges could harm the EU’s credibility as a global leader in forest protection and biodiversity, and undermine the integrity of VPAs as EU trade tools,” the organisation warned.

The VPA, it should be said, was originally signed to combat illegal logging, a significant contributor to deforestation and environmental degradation. 

Under the agreement, Cameroon committed to implementing stringent control measures, including requiring management plans for all logging permits and enforcing national regulations to ensure legal and sustainable harvesting. 

Experts have revealed that between 2011 and 2022, Cameroon lost approximately 900,000 hectares of forest cover, equivalent to 5% of its total forest area. This loss, sources are quoted as having said, is as a result of illegal logging operations.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3255 of Thursday October 10, 2024