Status: Adopted

Law - European Union - Timber Regulation

Timber Regulation

Summary Table

Obligations
  • Reporting
  • Due Diligence
Normative scope
  • Human Rights
  • Environment
  • Other Social Matters
  • Broad ranging
Value chain scope
  • Own Operations
  • Subsidiaries
  • Direct Suppliers
  • Indirect Suppliers
  • Full Value Chain
Company scope
  • Large Companies
  • SMEs
  • All sectors
Administrative enforcement
  • Monitoring
  • Administrative Sanctions
Judicial enforcement
  • Civil Liability
  • Facilitating Access to Justice
Obligations
  • Reporting
  • Due Diligence
    • Prohibition of import of illegally harvested timber and timber products requiring importers to follow a due diligence system to determine the source of timber and its legality. Legality is defined against applicable legislation in the country of harvest.
    • Due diligence obligations for importers involve carrying out impact assessments and mitigation.
    • Traders must ensure the traceability of their direct suppliers, and, when applicable, of clients.
    • To mitigate the risk of illegal timber in the supply chain, companies can request additional information, documentation or certification or change their supply source
Normative scope
  • Human Rights
  • Environment
    • The law tackles illegal logging due to its detrimental environmental effects
  • Other Social Matters
    • Concerns illegal commodities namely timber
  • Broad ranging
    • Does not apply to illegal commodities in general, only to illegally harvested timber and timber products
Value chain scope
  • Own Operations
  • Subsidiaries
  • Direct Suppliers
  • Indirect Suppliers
  • Full Value Chain
    • The regulation places obligations of traceability for traders
Company scope
  • Large Companies
  • SMEs
    • Applies to EU companies based on the sector they operate in rather than based on their size
  • All sectors
    • Applies to operators (natural or legal persons) that place timber or timber products on the market and traders (natural or legal persons) who, during a commercial activity, sell or buy timber or timber products on the internal market
Administrative enforcement
  • Monitoring
    • Enforcement through ex post checks
  • Administrative Sanctions
    • Member states determine enforcement mechanisms and penalties, including fines, seizure of properties, suspension on trade authorization
Judicial enforcement
  • Civil Liability
  • Facilitating Access to Justice

More information

  • The regulation entered into force in March 2013
Law

Regulation No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and Council (Timber Regulation)

European Union
October 20, 2010
Area EU Administrative Law
Reporting
Due diligence
Due diligence and remedy