User:Tippy Lim/sandbox/EU - Thailand Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA)

Thailand formally requested to start Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) negotiations with the European Union on 18 February 2013 to combat illegal logging and strengthen legal timber operation and trade. The VPA process entails that Thailand commit to improve timber law enforcement and governance and enter into a timber regulatory reform to make timber law coherent, equitable and responsible. The Thai side established in 2014 the Thai-EU FLEGT Secretariat Office (TEFSO) to support and coordinate all FLEGT related work. TEFSO has been integrated in the Forest Economic Division of the Royal Forest Department (RFD). The first Joint Expert Meetings (JEM) took place in November 2013, the first negotiations on 29-30 June 2017. Since then a second negotiation session took place on 19 July 2018 as well as 3 more JEMs.

Development
Technical work has advanced significantly since 2017. On the Thai side the Ad-Hoc Working Group (AHWG) and its various Sub-Working Groups are leading the development of the various annexes and concept notes prepared. In addition to the legal text of the VPA, 10 Annexes will be developed. At present 2 VPA Annexes have progressed to an advanced stage at a technical level and can be set aside until closer to the initialing of the Agreement. In addition, good progress on another 3 Annexes have been made at technical level.

To date the following bilateral meetings/events have taken place between the EU and Thailand:

·        Beginning of negotiation: 22 April 2013 (EU letter)

·        1st Joint Expert Meeting: 11-14 November 2013.

·        2nd Joint Expert Meeting: 27-28 June 2017.

·        1st negotiations: 29-30 June 2017.

·        3rd Joint Expert Meeting: 21-23 March 2018.

·        4th Joint Expert Meeting: 16-17 July 2018.

·        2nd negotiations: 19 July 2018.

Through progress on VPAs, the EU Timber Regulation and dialogues with other important timber markets, including China, the EU and the VPA partner countries are contributing to a growing global movement to address trade in illegal timber and timber products.

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