The European Union recently expressed regret over Cameroon’s failure to implement the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) regarding guarantees on timber harvested and exported to EU member states. This agreement serves as a legal framework to combat illegal logging and the associated trade. However, 13 years after Cameroon signed the agreement, “logging still partly relies on small-scale permits (cutting sales) that do not require management plans. National control systems are not operational, leaving regulations poorly enforced and governance weak, enabling the continuation of illegal logging operations, which harm the environment,” the European Commission said in a decision made public on October 2.

In the absence of strict enforcement of the agreement, Cameroon, according to EU-cited investigations, has continued to allow illegal forest exploitation. “Numerous investigations have revealed the dismal state of the forestry sector, highlighting the involvement of private companies, both foreign and domestic, as well as public sector actors in a timber trade representing millions of illegally-sourced dollars,” the EU stated, adding that “between 2011 and 2022, 900,000 hectares of forest cover were lost, equivalent to 5% of the country’s total forest cover.”

The EU’s 27 member states are particularly frustrated that Cameroon has not strengthened its forestry laws to continue exporting its timber species to other markets. “In addition, Cameroon’s wood exports have been redirected towards Asian markets, diluting the economic incentive of the VPA,” lamented the EU.

The failure to implement the VPA also damages the EU’s image, as the agreement is a key instrument in its international credibility in the fight against deforestation. “Continuing the VPA despite these challenges could harm the EU’s credibility as a global leader in forest protection and biodiversity, and undermine the integrity of VPAs as EU trade tools,” the organization warned.

As a result, given the lack of will by Cameroonian authorities to enforce the agreement, the European Union has decided to terminate it “no later than November 30, 2024, so that it will not be renewed automatically.” With this decision, the EU has marked its intention not to extend the VPA, which is set to expire on November 30, 2025. It should be noted that the VPA was last renewed automatically on December 1, 2018. The Ministry of Forests and Wildlife, contacted by SBBC, has yet to comment on the issue.

Source: Business in Cameroon