Despite the military conflict in Ukraine, the increased Ukrainian wood product exports to the EU suggest strong partnership between Ukraine and Europe.
The recent events did not affect the supply of Ukrainian timber to the EU. According to the latest Eurostat’s data, Ukrainian wood product exports to the European Union amounted to € 658.4 million in the first half of 2014 that is 26% more than in the first six months of 2013, when exports amounted to € 520 million.
The experts of Ukrainian Biofuel Portal pellets-wood.com state that the exports of Ukrainian wood products has been growing over the last few years. Poland is the main importer of Ukrainian timber with 29% (€ 125.5 million) of the total Ukrainian timber deliveries to the EU in 2014 that is twice more than in 2013. The deliveries to Germany increased by 19% (€ 89.9 million) and to Romania – by 44% (€ 89.7 million).
It is noteworthy to mention that Russia’s intervention in the Crimea and the military conflict in the eastern regions of the country happened in the first half of 2014. However, in spite of the political crisis in Ukraine it seems that the partnership between Ukraine and the European Union has only strengthened.
Also it should be said that forests and the forest industry in Ukraine are located in the western part of the country. So, the fact that Ukrainian’s forest industry is situated so close to the borders of the European Union could be a great opportunity to increase Ukrainian wood shipments.
At the same time, it should be noticed that the EU Timber Regulation came into force in March 2013. The main goal of the document is to fight against illegal logging. According to the Regulation, European importers have the right to require the accurate data on the site of timber harvesting, breeds of wood, and what is the most important – the documents that confirm the legality of timber harvesting. The existence of such a document is very important for Ukraine: firstly, it will allow to fight against illegal wood harvesting in our country, that is very common now, and secondly, it will allow to improve the ecological situation in the country, and will also bring changes for the better in the social, political and economic spheres.
Author: Ivan Prokhorov
