Termination of the EU-Liberia Voluntary Partnership Agreement on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products

Council Decision (EU) 2026/1771 approves, on behalf of the European Union, the termination of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the Republic of Liberia on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) in timber products exported to the Union.

The VPA, signed in July 2011 and in force since 1 December 2013, aimed to ensure that timber and derived products exported from Liberia to the Union were legally produced or acquired. Its central objective was to establish and operate a FLEGT licensing scheme, under which FLEGT licences would verify and attest the legality of such products.

Despite several proposed extensions to the implementation timetable, the licensing scheme has not been established and made operational. In view of the state and progress of implementation since the VPA entered into force, the Commission considers that it is unlikely to become fully operational within a reasonable timeframe.

As a result, the VPA would not enable Liberian timber and timber products to benefit from the relevant provisions of the EU Timber Regulation or, from 30 December 2025, the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products.

Termination of the Agreement

The Decision authorises the Union to terminate the VPA and requires it to notify Liberia in writing of this decision. Under the VPA, either party may terminate the agreement by written notification, and the agreement ceases to apply 12 months after the date of that notification.

Entry into Force

The Decision was adopted following the European Parliament’s consent of 17 June 2026. It was adopted by the Council on 10 July 2026 and entered into force on 22 July 2026, the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This summary was AI-generated and human-reviewed.