Republic of the Congo

All about the Republic of the Congo-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement

Forests cover around 65% of the Republic of the Congo, and they are the country's most valuable natural resource after oil. Out of the total 21 million hectares of forest, some 14 million hectares are currently dedicated to timber production. Congo's main markets for timber exports are China, South-East Asia and the EU.

Congo has ratified a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU and is developing the systems needed to control, verify and license legal timber. It will use these systems to cover timber and timber products exported not only to the EU, but also to other destinations worldwide. The systems will eventually also apply to timber and timber products sold within Congo.

For more information, visit the Congo FLEGT VPA website.

VPA status

Background

Detailed information on efforts by the Republic of the Congo and the EU to tackle illegal logging through a Voluntary Partnership Agreement.

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Stories

Find out what impact the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the Republic of the Congo and the EU is having on the ground.

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Multimedia corner

Related links 

All about what is a VPA and how it is structured.

All about what FLEGT licences are and how they can benefit businesses in the EU as well as timber producers in countries outside the EU.

FLEGT.org is a one-stop centre where members can access and share news, research, training materials and many other resources.

Navigate the map to find out about past and ongoing FLEGT projects around the world.

The knowledge sharing platform for development cooperation of the European Commission where you can share, learn and collaborate with development professionals.

All about the EU Timber Regulation that aims to reduce illegal logging by ensuring that no illegal timber or timber products can be sold in the EU.