Green Alliance Urges Spain to Act on Illegal Russian Timber Imports
The Green Alliance party has urged the Spanish government to investigate and prevent the ongoing illegal import of timber from Russia and Belarus, despite EU restrictions. The party's federal coordinator, Juanxo López de Uralde, has highlighted Spain's significant role in the destruction of tropical ecosystems due to these practices.
The illegal imports continue due to several reasons. Firstly, complex and opaque supply chains make it difficult to trace the origin of the wood, especially when it passes through multiple intermediaries or transit countries. Secondly, the enforcement of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) varies among member states, with some, including Spain, having slow or inadequate controls. Additionally, timber from Russia and Belarus is often laundered through non-EU countries to appear legal. Lastly, limited international cooperation hampers the identification and verification of suspicious shipments.
Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, the EU has imposed stricter sanctions on Russia and Belarus, including wood import bans. However, these restrictions have been circumvented using complex routes and shell companies. Spain, as a major timber importer, has received such shipments, with a Basque company alone receiving 54 shipments of birch plywood from a Chinese company. The total value of these illegal imports to Spain is estimated at 145 million euros, with the EU importing over 1.5 billion euros worth of illegal Russian and Belarusian birch wood since 2022.
The Green Alliance has called for the government to take a firm stance on the imported deforestation regulation and to maintain its current terms. To effectively combat this issue, improved digital tracking, enhanced international cooperation, and increased financial resources for controls are necessary. Interested readers can find more detailed analyses from environmental organizations like WWF and Global Witness, as well as EU parliamentary reports.
