German court turns a blind eye to illegal Myanmar timber
German Court Turns a Blind Eye to Illegal Myanmar Timber
- Areas of work:
- Campaigns:
German Court Turns a Blind Eye to Illegal Myanmar Timber
This report examines how timber moves into one of the world’s most important wood-processing hubs - Vietnam. During the past two decades, Vietnam has become a major global exporter of furniture and wood products, supplying markets across Asia, Europe and the US. To support this growth, the country relies not only on its own plantations, but also on timber imported from a wide range of international sources, including neighbouring countries such as Cambodia and Laos.
The European Commission has formally proposed simplifications to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and confirmed the law will still apply from January 2026. Although the EUDR now comes with new exemptions and phase-ins for medium and large companies, the Commission’s decision to resist additional postponement is welcome. The announcement yesterday (21 October) comes after the […]
In another major win for Myanmar’s forests, a penalty order of €150,000 has been issued against a Dutch firm for using illicit Myanmar teak on Jeff Bezos’ superyacht Koru. The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie OM) has confirmed it reached a settlement agreement with a “Dutch yacht builder” — named as Oceanco by Dutch newspaper […]
EIA has joined with more than 245 civil society organisations from at least 42 countries to call on the European Parliament and national EU governments to reject the European Commission’s bid to stall a major forests protection law. The Commission is proposing a delay of 12 months to legally applying the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). […]
A new ruling by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) may partially undo earlier criminal convictions for importing teak from Myanmar in defiance of a previous EU sanctions regime. In April 2021, Hamburg Regional Court’s convicted WOB Timber and Stefan Bührich for imports of Myanmar teak contrary to the previous EU sanctions regime implemented against […]