Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic o... (22021A0618(01))
Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Honduras on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products to the European Union
- VOLUNTARY PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPUBLIC OF HONDURAS ON FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT, GOVERNANCE AND TRADE IN TIMBER PRODUCTS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
- ARTICLE 1
- Objective
- ARTICLE 2
- Definitions
- ARTICLE 3
- FLEGT licensing scheme
- ARTICLE 4
- Licensing authority
- ARTICLE 5
- Competent authorities of the Union
- ARTICLE 6
- FLEGT licences
- ARTICLE 7
- Definition of legally produced timber
- ARTICLE 8
- Verifying the legality of the timber produced or acquired
- ARTICLE 9
- Release for free circulation of shipments covered by a FLEGT licence
- ARTICLE 10
- Independent auditor
- ARTICLE 11
- Irregularities
- ARTICLE 12
- Start date for the implementation of the FLEGT licensing scheme
- ARTICLE 13
- Application of the FLEGT licensing scheme to timber products not exported to the Union
- ARTICLE 14
- Schedule for implementation of this Agreement
- ARTICLE 15
- Supplementary and support measures
- ARTICLE 16
- Stakeholder involvement in the implementation of this Agreement
- ARTICLE 17
- Social safeguards
- ARTICLE 18
- Market incentives
- ARTICLE 19
- Joint Implementation Committee
- ARTICLE 20
- Transparency and access to public information
- ARTICLE 21
- Communication on the implementation of this Agreement
- ARTICLE 22
- Confidential information
- ARTICLE 23
- Territorial application
- ARTICLE 24
- Settlement of disputes
- ARTICLE 25
- Suspension
- ARTICLE 26
- Amendments
- ARTICLE 27
- Duration
- ARTICLE 28
- Termination of this Agreement
- ARTICLE 29
- Annexes
- ARTICLE 30
- Authentic texts
- ARTICLE 31
- Entry into force
- ANNEXES
- ANNEX I
- LIST OF TIMBER PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE FLEGT LICENSING SCHEME
- ANNEX II
- HONDURAN LEGALITY MATRICES
- 1. Principles
- 2. Considerations for verifying legality
- 3. Sources of timber
- 4. Changes to the regulatory, organisational and institutional framework of Honduras
- LEGALITY MATRICES
- Appendices
- ANNEX III
- CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE RELEASE FOR FREE CIRCULATION IN THE UNION OF TIMBER PRODUCTS EXPORTED FROM HONDURAS AND COVERED BY A FLEGT LICENCE
- FRAMEWORK
- ARTICLE 1
- Processing of FLEGT licences
- ARTICLE 2
- Checks on validity of FLEGT licence documentation
- ARTICLE 3
- Request for additional information
- ARTICLE 4
- Verification of the conformity of the FLEGT licence with the consignment
- ARTICLE 5
- Verification prior to the arrival of the consignment
- ARTICLE 6
- Other matters
- ARTICLE 7
- Release for free circulation
- ANNEX IV
- PROCEDURE FOR ISSUING FLEGT LICENCES
- ARTICLE 1
- General requirements for FLEGT licences
- ARTICLE 2
- Responsibility of the FLEGT licensing authority
- ARTICLE 3
- Procedure for issuing FLEGT licences
- ARTICLE 4
- Technical specifications for FLEGT licences in paper form
- ARTICLE 5
- Format for issuing FLEGT licences
- ARTICLE 6
- Copies of the FLEGT licence
- ARTICLE 7
- Validity, withdrawal and replacement of the FLEGT licence
- ARTICLE 8
- Management of infringements relating to the issuing of FLEGT licences
- ARTICLE 9
- Doubts about the validity and authenticity of a FLEGT licence
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
- INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE FORM
- ANNEX V
- HONDURAN LEGALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM FOR TIMBER PRODUCTS (LAS)
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 1.1. General context
- 1.2. Objective of the Honduran Legality Assurance System for Timber Products (LAS)
- 1.3. New tools and elements for the improvement of forestry management.
- 2. HONDURAN LEGAL FRAMEWORK APPLICABLE TO THE LAS
- 2.1. International conventions and treaties
- 2.2. Regional conventions and treaties
- 2.3. National legislation on the sustainable management of natural resources
- 2.4. National legislation on labour matters
- 2.5. National legislation on the payment of state and municipal taxes for the export of timber products
- 2.6. National legislation on administrative procedures, transparency mechanisms and public participation
- 2.7. National legislation applied by the judicial officers
- 3. ELEMENTS OF THE LAS
- 3.1. Definition of legality
- 3.2. Verification of compliance with the legality definition
- 3.3. Supply-chain controls
- 3.4. FLEGT and H-Legal licensing process
- 3.5. Independent auditing
- 4. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND ROLE OF ACTORS INVOLVED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAS
- 4.1. Actors involved in the implementation of the LAS
- 4.2. State institutions
- 4.2.1. National Institute for Forest Conservation and Development, Protected Areas and Wildlife (ICF)
- 4.2.2. Revenue Administration Service (SAR)
- 4.2.3. Municipalities
- 4.2.4. Institute of Property (IP)
- 4.2.5. Ministry of Employment and Social Security (STSS)
- 4.2.6. Honduran Institute of Social Security (IHSS)
- 4.2.7. Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mines (MiAmbiente)
- 4.2.8. National Agrarian Institute (INA)
- 4.2.9. Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG)
- 4.2.10. Customs Revenue Subdirectorate (DARA)
- 4.2.11. Government institutions indirectly involved
- 4.2.11.1. National Preventive Police (PNP)
- 4.2.11.2. Public Prosecutor's Office (MP)
- 4.2.11.3. Attorney-General's Office (PGR)
- 4.2.11.4. Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ)
- 4.2.11.5. Honduran armed forces (FFAA)
- 4.2.11.6. National Directorate of Indigenous and Afro-Honduran Peoples (DINAFROH)
- 4.2.11.7. Institute for Access to Public Information (IAIP)
- 4.2.11.8. National Commission on Human Rights (CONADEH)
- 4.2.11.9. National Research System for Forests, Protected Areas and Wildlife (SINFOR)
- 4.3. Private forestry sector
- 4.4. Civil society organisations
- 4.4.1. Local organisations
- 4.4.2. Non-governmental development organisations
- 4.5. Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples of Honduras
- 4.6. Capacity-building
- 5. COVERAGE/SCOPE OF THE LAS
- 5.1. Timber products included in the LAS
- 5.2. Markets covered by the LAS
- 5.3. Sources of timber covered by the LAS
- 5.3.1. Timber harvested on the national territory
- 5.3.2. Imported wood
- 5.3.3. Timber not covered by the LAS
- 5.4. Scope of operators included in the LAS
- 6. VERIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE LEGALITY DEFINITION
- 6.1. Legality verification principles
- 6.1.1. Institutions involved in legality verification
- 6.1.2. Verification procedures based on the Legality Matrices
- 6.1.3. Storage of the means of verifying legality
- 6.1.4. Information systems and verification functionalities
- 6.1.5. Risk management principle in case of non-compliance with the LAS
- 6.1.6. Legality audit resulting in a legal compliance certificate
- 6.2. Obligation of operators with regard to legality verification
- 7. VERIFICATION OF THE TIMBER AND TIMBER PRODUCT SUPPLY CHAIN
- 7.1. Principles of supply-chain verification
- 7.2. Identification of timber products
- 7.3. Declaration of supply chain information by operators
- 7.4. Verification of imported timber products
- 7.5. Verification of timber products in transit
- 7.6. Verification of confiscated timber products
- 7.7. Verification of timber products sourced from land subject to a change in use
- 8. RECOGNITION OF PRIVATE CERTIFICATION
- 9. HANDLING OF CASES OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAS
- 10. MECHANISMS FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS
- 10.1. Introduction
- 10.2. Objectives
- 10.3. Types of complaint-handling mechanism
- 10.4. Establishment of the complaint-handling mechanisms and governing principles
- 11. CONSULTATION, PARTICIPATION AND COORDINATION MECHANISMS CONCERNING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAS
- 11.1. Joint Implementation Committee (JIC)
- 11.2. Technical Committee
- 11.3. Interinstitutional Secretariat for the Implementation of the FLEGT-VPA (SIIAVA)
- 11.4. National Strategy for the Control of Illegal Logging and Transport of Forest Products (ENCTI) and its links to this Agreement
- 12. INCENTIVE, PROMOTIONAL, SAFEGUARD AND MITIGATION MEASURES DESIGNED TO INVOLVE THE SECTOR'S VARIOUS ACTORS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAS
- Appendix 1
- Links in the supply chain (pine forest)
- Appendix 2
- Links in the supply chain (broadleaved forest)
- ANNEX VI
- INDEPENDENT AUDIT
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 2. OBJECTIVES
- 3. TASKS
- 4. METHODOLOGY: METHODS FOR GATHERING AND ASSESSING INFORMATION AND REPORTING
- 4.1. Work schedule
- 4.2. Scope of work
- 4.3. Evidence gathering
- 4.4. Evaluation
- 4.5. Audit systems
- 5. REPORTS AND DISSEMINATION
- 5.1. The independent audit body will draw up its reports in accordance with the format and protocol agreed with the JIC. It must:
- 5.2. Reports approved by the JIC will be considered public documents and must be published on the Parties' webpages.
- 6. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
- 6.1. Government of Honduras and bodies appointed by the Government
- 6.2. Civil society, local communities and Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples of Honduras
- 6.3. Other sources
- 7. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
- 8. SELECTION PROCESS AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
- 9. OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
- 9.1. Accessibility
- 9.2. Capacity-building and sustainability
- ANNEX VII
- CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING THE HONDURAN LEGALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM FOR TIMBER PRODUCTS (LAS)
- SECTION 1
- DEFINITION OF LEGALITY
- SECTION 2
- SUPPLY-CHAIN CONTROLS
- 2.1. Harvesting rights
- 2.2. Systems for checking the supply chain
- 2.3. Quantities
- 2.4. Reconciliation
- 2.5. Mixing of legally verified timber with other authorised timber:
- 2.6. Imported timber products
- SECTION 3
- VERIFICATION
- 3.1. Organisation
- 3.2. Verification of legality
- 3.3. Legal Compliance Certificate
- 3.3.1. Organisation
- 3.3.2. Issuing of legal compliance certificates
- 3.4. Verification of systems for controlling the supply chain
- 3.5. Recognition of voluntary certification systems
- 3.6. Cases of non-compliance
- 3.7. Mechanisms for handling complaints
- SECTION 4
- FLEGT LICENCES
- 4.1. Organisation
- 4.2. Issuing of FLEGT licences
- 4.3. FLEGT consignment-based licences
- 4.4. Queries on issued FLEGT licences
- SECTION 5
- INSTRUCTIONS ON THE INDEPENDENT AUDITING OF THE LAS
- 5.1. Institutional arrangements
- 5.2. Organisation acting as the independent auditor of the LAS
- ANNEX VIII
- SUPPLEMENTARY AND SUPPORT MEASURES
- INTRODUCTION
- 1. STEPPING UP COORDINATION BETWEEN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND OTHER ACTORS LINKED TO THIS AGREEMENT
- 2. CAPACITY BUILDING
- 3. STRATEGIC ACTIONS
- 4. STUDIES
- 5. LEGAL INSTRUMENTS
- 6. FUNDING MECHANISMS FOR SUPPLEMENTARY AND SUPPORT MEASURES
- ANNEX IX
- TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION
- 1. INTRODUCTION
- 2. OBJECTIVES
- 3. BACKGROUND
- 4. INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISHED
- 5. DISSEMINATION MECHANISMS
- 6. INFORMATION FROM OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
- ANNEX X
- JOINT IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
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