GUIDANCE DOCUMENT
FOR THE EU TIMBER REGULATION
INTRODUCTION
Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market1 (the EU Timber Regulation; EUTR) provides for adoption of non-legislative measures by the Commission aiming at uniform implementation. The Commission adopted a delegated Regulation laying down detailed requirements and a procedure for recognition and withdrawal of recognition to monitoring organisations2 and an implementing Regulation laying down detailed rules regarding the due diligence system and the frequency and nature of the checks to be carried out by Member States' competent authorities on monitoring organisations3.
Following consultations with stakeholders, experts from Member States and members of the FLEGT Committee a common view emerged that certain aspects of the EU Timber Regulation need clarification. It was agreed that a guidance document was necessary, in which issues related to the EU Timber Regulation and its non-legislative acts to be addresd. The guidance document was discusd and elaborated with the assistance of the FLEGT Committee.
The guidance document will not have a binding legal effect; its sole purpo is to provide explanations on certain aspects of the EU Timber Regulation and the two Commission non-legislative acts. It does not replace, add or amend anything to the provisions of the Regulation (EU) No 995/2010, the Commission Regulation (EU) No 363/2012, and the Commission Regulation (EU) No 607/2012, which constitute the legal basis to be applied. The issues addresd in the guidance document should not be considered in isolation; they must be ud in conjunction with the legislation, and not as a “stand-alone” reference.
Our belief however is that the guidance document will be a uful reference material for everyone who will have to comply with the EU TR as it provides important elucidation on parts of the legislative text that are difficult to understand. The guidance document will rve also to guide national competent authorities and enforcement bodies in the process of implementation and enforcement of this legislative package.
During the consultation process for elaborating the two Commission non-legislative acts and after holding numerous bilateral meetings with stakeholders a number of issues were outlined and to be included in a guidance document. After gathering some experience in application of the EUTR and if need be the list of issues could be further expanded and the document supplemented accordingly.
1 OJ L 295, 12.11.2010, p. 23.
2 OJ L 115, 27.4.2012, p. 12.
3 OJ L 177, 7.7.12, p. 16.
1. The definition of "placing on the market"
Relevant legislation:
EU Timber Regulation
Article 2 Definitions
[···]
(b) 'placing on the market ' means the supply by any means, irrespective of the lling technique ud, of timber or timber products for the first time on the internal market for distribution or u in the cour of a commercial activity, whether in return for payment or free of charge. It also includes the supply by means of distance communication as defined in Directive 97/7/EC of the European Parlia
ment and of the Council of 20 May 1997 on the protection of consumers in respect of distance contracts (3). The supply on the internal market of timber products derived from timber or timber products already placed on the internal market shall not constitute 'placing on the market '
[···]
This definition clearly states that the "supply" must be:
•on the internal market - so the timber must be physically prent in the EU, either harvested here or imported and cleared by customs for free circulation as products do not
acquire the status of "European Union goods" before they have entered the territory of the
customs union. Goods under special customs procedures (e.g. temporary importation; inward
processing; processing under customs control; customs warehous; free zones) as well as
transits and reexportation are not considered to be placed on the market.
•for the first time - timber products already placed on the EU market will not be covered nor will products derived from timber products already placed on the market. Making a product
available for the first time further refers to each individual product placed on the market
after the date of entry into application of the EU Timber Regulation (3rd March 2013), and
not to the launch of a new product or product line. Moreover the concept of placing on the
market refers to each individual product, not to a type of product, irrespective of whether it
was manufactured as an individual unit or a ries
• in the cour of a commercial activity - so the Regulation does not impo requirements on non-commercial consumers
All the above elements must be prent simultaneously. 'Placing on the market' should therefore, be understood as occurring when an operator first makes timber or timber products available on the EU market for distribution or for u in the cour of his commercial activity.
The provisions of the Regulation concerning "operators" therefore apply to:
•companies or individuals which harvest timber within the EU, for the purpo of processing or for distribution to commercial or non-commercial consumers
•companies or individuals which bring timber or timber products into the EU, for the purpo of processing or for distribution to commercial or non-commercial consumers, and •companies or individuals which harvest timber within the EU or bring timber or timber products into the EU exclusively for u in their own business.
Under this interpretation, a business which harvests timber within the EU or which brings into the EU timber or timber products for u in its own organisation needs to implement a due diligence system. This interpretation does not require the timber to be sold or physically transferred to a specific person: the timber is covered by the Regulation as soon as a supplier made it available for distribution or u in the EU4.
The position under the Regulation of 'agents' who act as middle men, sourcing products for others and not merely acting as shipping agents, will need to be determined by reference to the particular facts of each ca and the applicable contractual arrangements. An 'agent' who purchas and brings stock into the EU to meet anticipated orders from buyers will be an "operator" in his own right, unlike a true agent who acts only on behalf of another party and at no point takes actual ownership of products himlf.
For timber harvested outside the EU:
•Where an EU bad company buys timber or timber products in a third country and imports them into the EU, the EU bad company becomes an operator when the timber or timber products enter the EU
•Where an EU bad company buys timber or timber products in a third country and then has an agent imports them into the EU, the EU bad company becomes an operator when the timber or timber products enter the EU
•Where an EU bad company orders timber or timber products in a third country from a non-EU bad supplier who imports them into the EU, the EU company becomes an operator when the timber enters the EU (even if ownership does not formally transfer until the timber is delivered to the EU bad company)
•Where a non-EU bad company imports timber or timber products into the EU, obtains the
4
This interpretation broadly accords with the approach taken in the Guide to the Implementation of Directives bad on the New Approach and the Global Approach ("the Blue Guide"), which could be en on: ec.europa.eu/enterpri/policies/single-market-goods/files/blue-
guide/guidepublic_en.pdf. However, the definition in the EU Timber Regulation differs from the one ud in the single market directives.
relea for free circulation and then eks a buyer, the non-EU bad company becomes an operator when the timber or timber products enter the EU (becau the non-EU company has made the timber products available on the EU market)
•Where a non-EU bad company lls timber or timber products from a third country directly to non-commercial end-urs in the EU, the non-EU company becomes an operator when the timber or timber products enter the EU
All operators, whether EU or non-EU bad, must comply with the prohibition on placing illegally harvested timber on the market and the obligation to exerci due diligence
Scenarios outlining how the interpretation of placing on the market would work in practice are given in Annex I.
The EU Timber Regulation does not have retroactive effect. This means that the prohibition will not apply to timber and timber products placed on the marked before its entry into application on 3rd Mar
ch 2013. However operators will need to show, when checked by the competent authorities, that they have established a due diligence system which is operational as of 3rd March 2013. Therefore it is important that operators are able to identify their supply before and after that date. The obligation for traceability for traders also applies from that date.
2. Definition of negligible risk
Relevant legislation:
EU Timber Regulation
Article 6
Due diligence systems
[…]
(c) except where the risk identified in cour of the risk asssment procedures referred to in point (b) is negligible, risk mitigation procedures which consist of a t of measures and procedures that are adequate and proportionate to minimi effectively that risk and which may include requiring additional information or documents and/or requiring third party verification.
Due diligence requires an operator to gather information about timber and timber products and their suppliers in order to conduct a full risk asssment. The information required to be assd under Article 6 can be divided into two categories.
•Article 6(1)(a) - specific information related to the timber or timber product itlf: a description, its country of harvest (and, where applicable the sub-national region and concession), the supplier and trader, and documentation indicating compliance with applicable legislation.
•Article 6(1)(b) general information providing the context for asssing the product- specific information, about the prevalence of illegal harvesting of specific tree species and prevalence of illegal harvesting practices in the place of harvest, and on the complexity of the supply chain, While the general information provides operators with the context in which to evaluate the level of risk, the product specific information is necessary to determine the risk linked to the timber product itlf. It means that if the general information points to potential risks, special attention needs to be given to the gathering of the product specific-information. If the product is derived from veral timber sources it will be necessary to asss the risk for each component or species.
The level of risk can only be assd on a ca-by-ca basis as it depends upon a number of fact
ors. Although there is not a single accepted system for risk asssment, as a general rule however, the operator will have to address the following questions:
