Indonesia meets final requirement for FLEGT licensing

The Presidents of Indonesia, the European Commission and the European Council today confirmed that Indonesia has met the final major requirements of its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU and is on course to become the world’s first country to issue FLEGT licences.

Photo: Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the EC, receives Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia. Credit: EC

The EU can now proceed to complete the necessary procedures to make the Indonesian FLEGT licensing scheme fully operational.

Internal EU procedures to formalise EU recognition of FLEGT licences issued by Indonesia involve the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. When these procedures have been completed, the Indonesia-EU Joint Implementation Committee can recommend a date for FLEGT licensing to start.

Once FLEGT licensing begins, all Indonesian timber-based products listed in Annex I of the VPA and imported into the EU must be accompanied by a valid FLEGT licence. A Licence Information Unit in Indonesia will monitor FLEGT licensing and will share information with stakeholders and authorities in the EU.

Customs officials in Indonesia will check that licences are issued before products leave the country. EU customs officials will deny entry to any products covered by the VPA that arrive without a valid FLEGT licence.