The State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine held a strategic meeting with representatives of the woodworking industry, the Federation of Employers, FSC, PEFC, commodity exchanges, state-owned enterprises and other stakeholders on the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR).
The SFRA team demonstrated the industry’s technical readiness thanks to the digital solutions it has implemented:
- LIAZ has integrated geolocation data into the electronic logging ticket system and the exporter’s digital office with the option of exporting in GeoJSON format (compatible with TRACES).
- VO ‘Ukrderzhlesproekt’ expanded the functionality of the geoinformation system for visualising harvesting and tracking timber.
- State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’ presented an approach to analytical support and outlined ways to implement EUDR at the enterprise, as well as informed about problematic issues regarding the determination of risk levels in temporarily occupied territories, self-forested areas, and field protection strips.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR) introduces stricter requirements for the traceability of forest products to prevent goods associated with deforestation or forest degradation from entering the EU market. As a major timber exporter, Ukraine is adapting its forest management system to the new requirements.
Key issues:
🔺 No framework law for the implementation of the EUDR.
🔺 Unregulated status of areas with an undefined legal regime.
Next steps:
▪️ Development of a legislative framework.
▪️ Integration of digital systems into a single ecosystem.
▪️ Synchronisation with European platforms (TRACES).
▪️ Training programmes for businesses and civil servants.
▪️ Systematic monitoring and reporting.
The industry has a solid technical foundation, as noted by business representatives. At the same time, it needs stronger regulatory, integration and educational support. Further preparation will not only enable full compliance with EUDR requirements, but also strengthen the position of Ukrainian timber on the EU market.
