全球森林以每年1300萬公頃，約5萬多平方公哩的面積消失中。面對這持續的損失，歐盟執行委員會（European Commission）於17日揭開了針對森林保護的兩個倡議。
倡議中所提出的規定將可強制商人保證所販售的木材和木材產品之採伐是以出產國有效的法律為依據。
然而，根據倡議內容，公司將不需證明產品來源的合法性，僅被要求須要降低它們供應鏈中非法木材的物流。
歐盟執委會環境委員迪瑪斯（Stavros Dimas）指出，這項規定將傳遞給試圖進入歐盟市場的經營者一個強烈的訊息。他表示，這將會提高合法及可持續的森林利用和經營的動機，特別是有意維持和提升森林產品出口進入歐盟的開發中國家們。
迪瑪斯指出，「這些珍貴的資源對於調節氣候變遷扮演了一個重要的角色。而已開發國家和開發中國家必須團結並且保護世界僅存的森林。我們必須給木材供應商一個確切的訊息，那就是歐盟市場將不容許非法木材或木材產品。」
不過，綠色和平組織發表一份聲明表示，這項規定將會造成雙重標準，「以木材為原料的生質燃料和生物質必須符合可持續性而非合法性標準，然而所有其他木材產品僅需要符合合法性而非可持續性標準。」
估計約19%進入歐盟的木材進口皆出自於非法來源。環境委員會指出，非法伐木及砍伐森林對環境造成嚴重的衝擊，並造成氣候變遷和生物多樣性的損害，以及威脅原住民的生計。
非法伐木同時為廣大問題中的一個症狀，其中包括森林治理管理的缺乏，以及執法不周。
歐洲地球之友（Friends of the Earth Europe）形容這些提案為「薄弱沒效用的」，並且對於減緩砍伐森林並不可能有任何實質衝擊和作用，部分是因為並未將非法採伐木材交易列為犯罪行為。
這個倡議組織表示，這些提案並未將造成砍伐森林的主要禍因列為項目。舉例，歐盟執行委員會承認歐洲對紙張、大豆和棕櫚油的大量使用增加森林的濫伐，但是卻省略提出處理這問題的相對措施。
歐盟執行委員會於2003年啟動執行森林法之執行，治理和貿易（Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade, FLEGT）行動計畫，然而此計劃對於砍伐森林和非法伐木並無構成實際影響作用。
FLEGT將提供木材生產國可改善管理和生產力建設的支援，並且鼓勵私人部門將非法木材排除在供應鍊之外，同時避免可讓非法伐木進行的投資行動。
FLEGT的核心為與木材生產國簽定的自願合作夥伴協議（Voluntary Partnership Agreements, VAP），以將非法採伐木材排除在與歐盟貿易之外。
目前尚無防止非法採伐木材產品進口入歐盟的法律。
Globally, forests are disappearing at a rate of about 13 million hectares (50,190 square miles) a year. In view of this continuing loss, the European Commission Friday unveiled two initiatives aimed at forest protection.
The proposed regulation would oblige traders to seek guarantees that the timber and timber products they sell have been harvested according to the relevant laws of the country of origin.
Companies would not have to prove the legality of their products, but would only be required to minimize the risk of illegal timber in their supply chain.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas says this regulation will send a strong message to operators wanting to access the EU market. He says it will also increase incentives for legal and sustainable management and use of forests, especially in developing countries that are interested in maintaining and enhancing their export of forest products to the EU.
"These precious resources also play a vital role in regulating climate change. Developed and developing nations must unite to protect the world's remaining forests," Dimas said.
"We must also send a firm message to timber suppliers that illegal timber or timber products will not be tolerated on the EU market," he said.
Greenpeace said the regulation would produce a double standard, "Wood-based biofuels and biomass would need to be sustainable but not necessarily legal, whereas all other wood products would need to be legal but not necessarily sustainable," the group said in a statement.
Around 19 percent of timber imports into the EU is estimated to come from illegal sources. Illegal logging and deforestation have serious environmental implications, the commission said, contributing to climate change and the loss of biodiversity, as well as threatening the livelihood of indigenous people.
Illegal logging also is a symptom of wider problems, including a lack of forest governance, and weak law enforcement.
Friends of the Earth Europe also described the proposals as "toothless" and unlikely to have any major impact on reducing deforestation, in part because they do not make trade in illegally harvested wood a criminal offense.
The advocacy group says some of the big causes of deforestation are not addressed in the proposals. For example, the European Commission acknowledges that Europe's mass consumption of paper, soy and palm oil products increases deforestation yet omits any measures to deal with this.
The European Commission launched the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade, or FLEGT, Action Plan in 2003, but this did little to curb deforestation and illegal logging.
FLEGT included support for improved governance and capacity building in timber producing countries and encouragement to the private sector to exclude illegal timber from their supply chains and to avoid investment in activities that make it easy for illegal logging to take place.
The core of FLEGT was voluntary partnership agreements with timber-producing countries that wish to eliminate illegal timber from their trade with the EU.
Currently there is no law to prevent illegally logged wood products from being imported into the European Union.
全文及圖片詳見：ENS
