The EU licensing scheme for legal timber trade with partner countries (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade). A FLEGT licence demonstrates that the timber was harvested legally in the country of origin. For the EUDR, the rule is: FLEGT licences can partly simplify certain obligations, but they do not fully replace due diligence.
FLEGT is aimed primarily at the import of timber from third countries with which the EU has concluded corresponding agreements.
What is FLEGT?
FLEGT stands for "Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade" and is an EU action plan introduced before the EUDR to combat illegal logging. At its core are Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber-exporting countries. Once a country has set up a functioning licensing system, it can issue FLEGT licences for its timber exports.
How do FLEGT licences work?
A FLEGT licence is issued in the country of origin and confirms that the exported timber complies with that country's laws – that is, was harvested and traded legally. On import into the EU, the licence serves as proof of legality. It therefore primarily concerns the import and the downstream timber trade.
How does FLEGT relate to the EUDR?
The EUDR recognises that FLEGT-licensed timber has already undergone an official legality check. As a result, certain steps of due diligence – in particular the legality check – can be simplified.
- FLEGT demonstrates legal production in the country of origin.
- This can relieve the burden on the legality part of the risk assessment.
- The requirements regarding deforestation-free status and geolocation data nevertheless remain in place.
Note: A FLEGT licence addresses legality, not automatically the deforestation-free status after 31 December 2020. So check on a case-by-case basis which EUDR information you must additionally provide. The comparison of FLEGT with FSC and PEFC can be found in the article Certificates and the EUDR.
Relationship to other obligations
FLEGT is a building block within due diligence, comparable to certificates such as FSC or PEFC – with the difference that it is a state-backed licensing scheme. Even with a FLEGT licence, the due diligence statement via TRACES NT remains required, and the goal remains to demonstrate a negligible risk.