Russian minister: Wood buyers share responsibility for illegal felling

EU and Russia seeking dialogue in environment issues

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Russia's Minister of Natural Resources, Juri Trutnev says that responsibility for illegal felling in Russia lies partly with the buyers of illegally cut timber.
      Speaking in Helsinki on Tuesday, Trutnev said that the main responsibility for the matter lies with Russian officials, but that foreign buyers often deliberately buy wood that has been cut illegally.
      As there is demand for illicit timber, Trutnev says that cross-border cooperation is necessary to fight the practice.
     
Moves are underway for closer cooperation in the environment sector between the European Union and Russia. A meeting of a Partnership Council between the EU and Russia met for the first time at Helsinki's House of the Estates on Tuesday.
      Taking part in the council were Trutnev, as well as Finnish Environment Minister Jan-Erik Enestam (Swedish People's Party), Matthias Machnig, State Secretary at the Ministry for the Environment of Germany, which is the next holder of the EU Presidency, as well as the European Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas.
      The environmental organisation Greenpeace published a report in September, according to which large amounts of illegally felled timber are imported from Russian Karelia to Finland, where it is used at the pulp and paper mills of Stora Enso and UPM. Greenpeace called on the EU and Russia to take issue with the illegal trade.
     
Trutnev admitted that illegal felling is one of the greatest problems of the forest sector in Russia. He added that similar cross-border trade in wood takes place over the border with China.
      Enestam emphasised that Finland does not approve of illegal felling. On Tuesday the Finnish Forest Industries Federation issued a statement, according to which the Finnish forest industry operates in accordance with local legislation and orders set by officials.
      Under a document signed on Tuesday, a separate working group will be set up for the cooperation. The cooperative measures include dealing with forest fires. Last summer thick smoke from forest fires in Russia spread all the way to Finland in the summer. Trutnev believed that the agreement will improve communications concerning such fires.
      Enestam emphasised the importance of assessing environmental impact of various projects. At a press conference he said that a good example of this is the plan to build a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Gulf of Finland.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  No repercussions in Germany for Finnish companies over illegal felling (20.9.2006)
  Greenpeace traces trees illegally felled in Russia to Finnish factories (19.9.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat