The company received an additional fine – a one-year ban on placing birch plywood on the market. The Service reminds that it is still prohibited to import timber or wood products in the production of which raw materials obtained in Russia and Belarus are used. Importing such products would be in breach of the EU Timber Regulation, as the raw material cannot be reduced to "negligible" risk to be imported into the EU market. Timber and wood products produced in Russia or Belarus and subject to EU sanctions are considered illegally obtained. If a company plans to import high-risk products, such as birch plywood, then any possibility that the plywood was produced or the timber was sourced in Russia or Belarus must be ruled out. Also, if, for example, furniture is imported from China or another third country, whose manufacturers could use wood of Russian or Belarusian origin, it is necessary to exclude the possibility that it may contain raw materials from these countries. The EU Timber Regulation requires risk mitigation measures to be effective and appropriate to the risks. Submission of documents such as certificates of origin and logging permits will not be considered by the State Forestry Service as an appropriate risk mitigation measure when importing products from a high-risk country. Such documents do not reflect the entire supply chain, may contain misleading information, and their use does not reduce the risk of high-risk timber in the supply chain. EU regulations cover a wide range of wood and wood products, including furniture, paper, cardboard and pulp.
