Examination of Witnesses (Questions 354-359)
MR NEIL
SCOTLAND
8 NOVEMBER 2005
Q354 Chairman: Welcome, Mr Scotland.
I believe you have sat there through the previous session?
Mr Scotland: Yes.
Q355 Chairman: I think it is fitting
that we should be moving on to the European Commission impact
at this stage. We wondered by way of introduction if you could
give us the background to the Commission's decision and to put
forward proposals that there are in the FLEGT action plan?
Mr Scotland: Yes, thank you. The
background was that there was growing concern about the problems
of illegal logging and the governance, corruption and trade aspects.
It was in 2001, in fact, in Bali when a ministerial conference
addressed this issue in East Asia, and we were present at that
and came back from this meeting with some ideas on how we could
begin to address the issue from our side using the instruments
at our disposal, and so that set in motion a process which led
through a consultation, to the development of policy, to the proposals
which were eventually adopted just last week in Luxembourg at
the Council.
Q356 Chairman: So the whole proposals
were adopted?
Mr Scotland: They were, yes, the
proposal for a regulation to implement this licensing scheme and
the directives for negotiating partnership agreements to implement
that. We got political agreement from the Council in Luxembourg
two weeks ago.
Q357 Chairman: In respect of the
particular countries that were pushing for this and the particular
countries that were perhaps not so supportive, could you name
names and tell us which ones were really wanting to see progress
and where the opposition was, if you like?
Mr Scotland: I do not want to
name names, but I think, as time has gone on and the Member States
have come to understand the proposals and become aware of the
problem, that we have developed a very constructive and quite
an innovative approach which has drawn in a lot of strengths and
efforts from Member States as well, and some of the countries
which were sceptical initially now are quite positive contributors.
I do not think it is fair to specifically name names and single
countries out.
Q358 Mr Hurd: Leaving aside the voluntary
partnership agreements, which we will come on to discuss specifically,
how much progress has been made on other aspects of the action
plan?
Mr Scotland: The action plan contains
quite a broad range of measures—development assistance,
the trade in timber, public procurement, private sector initiatives
and other measures—and there has been progress under most
of these headings. On development assistance we have started to
programme some quite substantial resources behind the action plan;
on the trade in timber we have put forward this regulation. On
public procurement, which we discussed earlier in the session,
there is a lot of work which Member States are undertaking to
reform their public procurement policies and we have got some
work underway with the private sector supporting efforts from
the private sector which are very much in line with the broad
objectives of the FLEGT action plan. I think that is quite a brief
answer. I could go into much more detail about the individual
activities if you like.
Q359 Mr Hurd: I am going to ask you
a bit more about the procurement issue. You mentioned substantial
resources. Can you be a little bit more specific about what that
means?
Mr Scotland: Could you repeat
the question, please?
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