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OPINION (05673/2025 – C100012/2025 – 2024/0245(NLE))

On the draft Council decision on the termination of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cameroon on forest law enforcement governance and trade in timber and derived products to the Union

DEVE-AD-771837

Committee on Development · Rapporteur: Ana Miranda Paz

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The Committee on Development calls on the lead committee to recommend approval of the draft Council decision to terminate the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between the EU and Cameroon on timber trade, citing the agreement's failed implementation. The opinion notes that Cameroon has not implemented key VPA measures, illegal logging persists, and exports have shifted to Asia, undermining the agreement's credibility. It urges that lessons from the VPA process be integrated into future Forest Partnerships, with Parliament involvement and inclusive participation.

Committee position. The Committee on Development calls on the Committee on International Trade to recommend approval of the draft Council decision to terminate the VPA with Cameroon.

Key points

  1. The VPA entered into force on 1 December 2011 for seven years, tacitly renewable, with the current period expiring on 30 November 2025.
  2. Cameroon has failed to implement key VPA measures, including the FLEGT licensing scheme and legality verification and traceability systems, with weak law enforcement and corruption.
  3. The VPA's contribution to reducing illegal logging is assessed as relatively weak compared to similar agreements with other developing countries.
  4. In 2021, 59% of Cameroon's timber exports went to China and Vietnam, compared to 38% to the EU; for logs, exports to these Asian markets accounted for 98%.
  5. A 2020 investigation found widespread violations of export laws, illegal harvesting, and labour violations in the illegal timber trade between Cameroon and Vietnam.
  6. The situation damages the credibility of the EU as a global leader in forest protection and the integrity of VPAs as trade instruments.
  7. Positive aspects of the FLEGT-VPA process should be integrated into any future Forest Partnership, with full involvement of the European Parliament.
  8. Future partnerships must be developed through an inclusive process engaging small-scale farmers, civil society, local communities and indigenous people, with monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
  9. If the VPA is terminated, EU cooperation with Cameroon should shift toward supporting measures aligned with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation.

Who is affected

  • Cameroon: the VPA termination affects its timber trade with the EU; cooperation may shift to support deforestation regulation alignment.
  • EU institutions: the credibility of the EU and its trade instruments is at stake; Parliament should be involved in future partnerships.
  • Small-scale farmers, civil society, local communities and indigenous people in Cameroon: should be engaged in future forest partnerships.

Figures and deadlines

  • 1 December 2011: VPA entry into force; 30 November 2025: expiry of current seven-year period.
  • Nearly 40% of Cameroon's territory is covered by tropical forests; 900,000 hectares lost between 2011 and 2022.
  • In 2021, 59% of timber exports went to China and Vietnam, 38% to the EU; for logs, 98% to those Asian markets.