Parliamentary questions  P-000973/2022 to the Commission

Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE), Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg (Verts/ALE), Thomas Waitz (Verts/ALE), Vlad Gheorghe (Renew)

Subject: Trade restrictions / import ban on Russian and Belarusian wood and timber products

On 24 February 2022, Russia started an unjustified war and military aggression against Ukraine, causing a humanitarian crisis and possible war crimes. The EU has adopted sanctions in order to isolate Russia and Belarus politically and economically. On 2 March 2022, a wide-ranging package of new sanctions against Belarus was published, which included sanctions on wood products. However, Russia also generates enormous revenue from this sector. In 2021, timber and wood products exported from the Russian Federation were valued at USD 13.9 billion(1). Western countries, including those in the EU, are major markets for this wood, either directly or indirectly.

1. Can the Commission specify whether the existing sanctions against Belarus include processed wood products (e.g. furniture and furniture parts) and, if so, which products exactly are covered?

2. Will the EU also impose trade restrictions or an import ban on Russian timber and wood products (including paper products, furniture and furniture parts, pellets and sawn wood)?

3. Would an exclusion of Belarus and Russia from certification systems like that of the Forest Stewardship Council also be conceivable in this context?

Read HERE  the answer provided by by Ms McGuinness on behalf of the European Commission.