International Tropical Timber Agreement

SUMMARY OF:

The 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) – European Community Declaration in accordance with Article 36(3) of the Agreement – Declaration

Decision 2011/731/EU on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union (EU), of the 2006 ITTA

Decision (EU) 2021/837 on the position to be taken by the EU in the International Tropical Timber Council on the extension of the 2006 ITTA

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE AGREEMENT AND THE DECISIONS?

The agreement aims to promote the expansion and diversification of international trade in tropical timber from sustainably managed and legally harvested forests and to promote the sustainable management of tropical timber-producing forests.
Decision 2011/731/EU concludes the agreement on behalf of the European Union (EU).
Decision (EU) 2021/837 affirms the EU’s position in favour of extending the agreement for a further 5 years.

KEY POINTS

The 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA) superseded previous ITTAs in 1994 and 1983.
It entered into force on 7 December 2011 for a period of 10 years.
The ITTA sets out the rules and procedures of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO).
The EU pays the highest contribution to the ITTO and has the most votes within the International Tropical Timber Council, the highest authority of the ITTO.
A decision to extend the ITTA for another 5 years was reached during the 57th session of the International Tropical Timber Council from 29 November to 3 December 2021:
- the members of the International Tropical Timber Council agreed that, in the next 5 years, an assessment of the relevance and added value of the ITTA in the global context would be carried out to help decide whether to renegotiate or further extend the agreement;
- this decision should be taken 2 years before the end of the latest extension.

Objectives

The agreement has a number of specific objectives, including:

to provide an effective basis for consultation, international cooperation and policy development regarding the world timber economy;
to establish a consultation forum to promote non-discriminatory timber practices;
to enhance members’ capacity to export tropical timber and timber products from sustainably managed sources;
to improve understanding of long-term trends in the tropical timber market;
to improve forest management and wood utilisation research;
to encourage tropical timber reforestation and restoration of degraded forest land, taking the needs of local communities into account;
to encourage the development of national policies that aim to conserve timber-producing forests and that maintain an ecological balance;
to strengthen forest law enforcement and governance; and
to address the problem of illegal logging of tropical timber.

Contributions

Compulsory contributions by the consumer members of the ITTO are assessed primarily by the volume of imported timber.
The EU contributes to the administrative account of the ITTO; the EU and its Member States can make voluntary financial contributions to planned actions.

DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE

The agreement entered into force on 7 December 2011.

BACKGROUND

For further information, see:

About the ITTO (ITTO).

MAIN DOCUMENTS

The 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement – European Community Declaration in accordance with Article 36(3) of the Agreement – Declaration (OJ L 262, 9.10.2007, pp. 8–26).

Council Decision 2011/731/EU of 8 November 2011 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement (OJ L 294, 12.11.2011, pp. 1–2).

Council Decision (EU) 2021/837 of 6 May 2021 on the position to be taken by the European Union in the International Tropical Timber Council on the extension of the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 2006 (OJ L 185, 26.5.2021, pp. 23–24).