EU/Cameroon Voluntary Partnership Agreement on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber and derived products to the EU (FLEGT): termination

PURPOSE: to terminate the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cameroon on forest law enforcement governance and trade in timber and derived products to the Union.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cameroon on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in timber and derived products to the European Union (FLEGT) was signed on 6 October 2010.

In accordance with Council Decision 2011/201/EU, the VPA was concluded on behalf of the Union. Following its conclusion by the Republic of Cameroon, the VPA entered into force on 1 December 2011 for a period of seven years, renewable by tacit agreement for periods of the same length unless one party notifies its intention not to renew the VPA at least 12 months before the expiry of the period under way.

The Republic of Cameroon has not been able to fulfil its obligations under the VPA, namely in relation to the progress in establishing the FLEGT licensing scheme aimed at verifying and attesting, by means of a FLEGT licence, that timber and derived products exported to the Union are legally produced or acquired.

Therefore, the Commission believes that the VPA will not enable timber and timber products from the Republic of Cameroon to benefit from the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market and, as of 30 December 2025, of certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation.

It is therefore appropriate that the VPA should cease to apply. It should either not be renewed beyond 30 November 2025 or should be terminated as soon as possible thereafter. Due to time constraints, the Union can no longer avail itself of the possibility of notifying a non-renewal beyond 30 November 2025 pursuant to Article 27 of the VPA. Pursuant to Article 28 of the VPA, either Party may denounce the VPA by notifying the other Party. In such a case, the VPA would cease to apply 12 months after the date of such notification.

CONTENT: the Commission proposes that the Council should decide to approve, on behalf of the Union, the termination of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between the European Union and the Republic of Cameroon on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber and derived products to the European Union (FLEGT) that entered into force on 1 December 2011. The VPA will cease to apply no later than 12 months after the date of notification to the Republic of Cameroon.