2012/373/EU: Council Decision of 14 May 2012 on the conclusion of the Voluntary P... (32012D0373)
2012/373/EU: Council Decision of 14 May 2012 on the conclusion of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Liberia on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union
- COUNCIL DECISION
- of 14 May 2012
- on the conclusion of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Liberia on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union
- (2012/373/EU)
- Article 1
- Article 2
- Article 3
- Article 4
- Article 5
- VOLUNTARY PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
- between the European Union and the Republic of Liberia on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union
- Article 1
- Objective
- Article 2
- Definitions
- Article 3
- FLEGT licensing scheme
- Article 4
- Licensing authority
- Article 5
- Competent authorities of the Union
- Article 6
- FLEGT licenses
- Article 7
- Definition of legally produced timber
- Article 8
- Verification of legally produced timber
- Article 9
- Application of the FLEGT licensing scheme to timber products not exported to the Union
- Article 10
- Consultations on validity of licenses
- Article 11
- Independent auditor
- Article 12
- Irregularities
- Article 13
- Date of operation of the FLEGT licensing scheme
- Article 14
- Schedule for implementation of this Agreement
- Article 15
- Supporting measures
- Article 16
- Stakeholder involvement in implementation of this Agreement
- Article 17
- Social safeguards
- Article 18
- Market-related incentives
- Article 19
- Joint Implementation Committee
- Article 20
- Communication on implementation of this Agreement
- Article 21
- Reporting and public disclosure of information
- Article 22
- Confidential information
- Article 23
- Territorial application
- Article 24
- Settlement of disputes
- Article 25
- Suspension
- Article 26
- Amendments
- Article 27
- Annexes
- Article 28
- Duration
- Article 29
- Termination of this Agreement
- Article 30
- Authentic texts
- Article 31
- Entry into force
- LIST OF ANNEXES
- ANNEX I
- LIST OF PRODUCTS SUBJECT TO FLEGT LICENSING
- ANNEX II
- LEGALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM OF LIBERIA
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 2. SCOPE
- 2.1.
- Timber sources
- 2.2.
- Products
- 2.3.
- Market destinations
- 3. INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP
- Figure 1.
- Institutional set-up for verification and licensing
- 4. LEGALITY VERIFICATION
- 4.1.
- Legality definition and related verification procedures
- 4.2.
- Data management
- 4.3.
- Legality verification of operators working under an independent forest management certification scheme
- 5. CHAIN OF CUSTODY SYSTEM
- 5.1.
- Standard operating procedures
- 5.2.
- Pre-harvest
- 5.3.
- Harvesting
- 5.4.
- Forest log yard/landing
- 5.5.
- Transport of logs or processed wood
- 5.6.
- Processing of timber
- 5.7.
- Export
- 5.8.
- Domestic market
- 5.9.
- Imported timber
- 5.10.
- Timber in transit
- 5.11.
- Rubberwood
- 5.12.
- Data reconciliation
- 6. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE LAS
- 7. LICENSING
- 8. INDEPENDENT AUDIT
- Appendix A
- LEGALITY DEFINITION, MATRIX AND VERIFICATION PROCEDURES
- 1.
- Plan for forestry policy and law reform
- 2.
- Legality matrix
- LIST OF ACRONYMS
- LEGISLATION REFERENCED IN LIBERIAN LEGALITY DEFINITION
- Appendix B
- ANNEX III
- Conditions governing the release for free circulation in the Union of timber products exported from Liberia and covered by a FLEGT license
- GENERAL FRAMEWORK
- Article 1
- Lodging of the license
- Article 2
- Checks on validity of license documentation
- Article 3
- Requests for additional information
- Article 4
- Verification of the conformity of the license with the shipment
- Article 5
- Verification prior to the arrival of the shipment
- Article 6
- Other matters
- Article 7
- Release for free circulation
- ANNEX IV
- REQUIREMENTS AND TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR FLEGT LICENSES
- Article 1
- General requirements relating to FLEGT licenses
- Article 2
- Technical specifications with regard to FLEGT licenses on paper
- Article 3
- Copies of FLEGT licenses
- Article 4
- FLEGT licenses lost, stolen or destroyed
- Article 5
- Technical specifications with regard to electronic FLEGT licenses
- Article 6
- Treatment of doubts regarding the validity of a license
- Appendices
- Appendix 1
- FORMAT OF THE FLEGT LICENSE
- Appendix 2
- NOTES FOR GUIDANCE
- ANNEX V
- FUNCTIONS OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT: TERMS OF REFERENCE
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 2. OBJECTIVES
- 3. TASKS
- 4. METHODOLOGY: METHODS FOR GATHERING AND ASSESSING INFORMATION AND REPORTING
- 4.1. Work schedule
- 4.2. Scope of work
- 4.3. Evidence gathering
- 4.4. Assessment
- 4.5. Audit systems
- 5. REPORTS AND DISSEMINATION
- 6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
- 6.1. Government of Liberia and bodies appointed by the Government
- 6.2. Civil society and communities
- 6.3. Other sources
- 7. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
- 8. SELECTION PROCESS AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
- 9. OTHER REQUIREMENTS
- 9.1. Accessibility
- 9.2. Capacity-building and sustainability
- ANNEX VI
- CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF THE LEGALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM
- 1. DEFINITION OF LEGALITY
- 2. CONTROL OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN
- 2.1. Logging rights
- 2.2. Systems for controlling the supply chain
- 2.3. Quantities
- 2.4. Data gathering
- 2.5. Imported timber products
- 3. VERIFICATION
- 3.1. Organisation
- 3.2. Verification against the definition of legality
- 3.3. Verification of systems for controlling the supply chain
- 3.4. Non-compliance
- 3.5. Complaints
- 4. LICENSING
- 4.1. Organisation
- 4.2. Issuing of FLEGT licenses
- 4.3. Procedures to handle queries on licenses issued
- 4.4. Mechanism for handling complaints
- 5. INSTRUCTIONS ON THE INDEPENDENT SYSTEM AUDIT
- 5.1. Institutional arrangements
- 5.1.1. Designation of authority
- 5.1.2. Independence from other elements of the LAS
- 5.1.3. Designation of the independent auditor
- 5.1.4. Mechanism for handling complaints
- 5.2. The independent auditor
- 5.2.1. Organisational and technical requirements
- 5.2.2. Audit method
- 5.2.3. Scope of the audit
- 5.2.4. Reporting requirements
- 6. EVALUATION CRITERIA OF THE SYSTEM ESTABLISHED IN THE UNION TO ACCEPT FLEGT LICENSES
- ANNEX VII
- IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
- ANNEX VIII
- SUPPORTING MEASURES
- 1. BACKGROUND
- 2. IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURES
- 3. CAPACITY-BUILDING
- 4. FINANCING MECHANISMS
- 5. ESTABLISHING THE LAS
- 5.1. Establishing the legality verification system
- 5.2. Establishing the Liberia Licensing Department
- 5.3. Establishing Independent Audit mechanism
- 5.4. External review of the operational LAS
- 6. STRENGTHENING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
- 7. MONITORING THE DOMESTIC TIMBER MARKET
- 8. MONITORING THE IMPACT OF THE VPA IMPACTS
- 9. MONITORING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VPA
- 10. COMMUNICATION
- ANNEX IX
- PUBLIC INFORMATION AND TRANSPARENCY MEASURES
- 1. CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION THAT WILL BE ROUTINELY PUBLISHED
- 1.1. Information relating specifically to the VPA
- 1.2. Information on management of the forestry sector
- 1.3. Information on forest resource allocation
- 1.4. Information on forest resource production
- 1.5. Information on forest fees and revenues
- 1.6. Information on law enforcement in concession areas
- 2. INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC WHEN REQUESTED UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
- 2.1. Information on forest resource allocation
- 2.2. Information on forest resource production
- 2.3. Information on processing
- 2.4. Information on forest fees and revenues
- 2.5. Information on law enforcement in concession areas
- 3. PROCEDURE FOR ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION, RECORDS OR DOCUMENTS
- ANNEX X
- FUNCTIONS OF THE JOINT IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
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