New to FLEGT and VPAs? Start here
FLEGT stands for Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. It is the name of the EU initiative to address illegal logging through action in both the EU and in timber-exporting countries. Among the key elements of FLEGT are Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber-exporting countries. VPAs aim to promote trade in legal timber products and improve forest governance.
If you are new to FLEGT and VPAs the following sections of the media room may be particularly useful:
The section on illegal logging and the EU FLEGT Action Plan explains why illegal logging is a problem and how the EU FLEGT Action Plan aims to address this problem. It also summarises progrss towards the Action Plan's economic, social and enviromental goals.
The section on what is special about VPAs explains the principles behind these agreements and how VPAs differ from typical trade agreements.
The section on why forest governance matters describes the characteristics of good versus weak forest governance and explains how FLEGT aims to improve governance in the forest sector.
The section on reporting on FLEGT and VPAs explains different angles to the story, identifies the main actors involved and key storylines to follow. It also suggests additional sources of information for journalists.