Latvia has banned imports of Russian and Belarusian lumber and products made of wood that are subjected to EU sanctions. State Forest Service reminds: it is prohibited to import wooden products that are not under sanctions either.
The list of such products can be found in the annex to the EU Timber Regulation. This includes furniture, paper products, and cellulose. Importing these products would mean violating this regulation. The EU Timber Regulation came into force in EU member states in 2013. The goal of this regulation is limiting imports of lumber and wooded products to the EU in an effort to reduce illegal logging around the world.
The regulation introduces a duty for all companies in Europe that import lumber or wooden products to evaluate and reduce risks before importing goods. Importers have a duty to determine if the acquisition, trade and exports of wooden products and lumber in general was legal in the country of origin. Only products whose risk level is very low or non-existent are allowed to be imported in the EU.
Violation of the EU Timber Regulation carries administrative liability,
which includes a ban on releasing goods on the market, whereas violation of EU sanctions carries criminal liability.
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Belarus supporting the former, it has been impossible to perform full assessment of risks for lumber and products made of wood. This means releasing these products from Russia and Belarus in the EU is a violation of the aforementioned regulation. On top of the lack of information and risks, it is believed that the lumber acquired in Russia and Belarus can be considered bloody goods, and purchase of these products can be considered support of the ongoing war. It is also important to keep in mind that certification mechanisms PEFC and FSC have haled certificates of Russian and Belarusian lumber.
The State Forest Service reminds that imports of Russian and Belarusian wooden products is also prohibited from third countries. Market players are required to perform inspections to prevent imports of these products from other countries. Third countries that manufacture wooden products must not use lumber from Russia and Belarus if they want to sell their products in the EU.