The fine was imposed for failing to comply with the European Union (EU) Timber Regulation's due diligence requirements, allowing the risk of timber from Russia being placed on the market.
The name of the company fined was not provided.
The VMD reminds businesses that imports of timber or timber products using raw materials from Russia or Belarus are still not allowed. Importing such products would be in breach of the EU Timber Regulation, as raw materials cannot be reduced to a "negligible risk" to be allowed on the EU market. Timber and wood products produced in Russia or Belarus and subject to EU sanctions are considered as illegally sourced.
If a company intends to import a high-risk product, such as birch plywood, it must rule out any possibility that the plywood or timber was produced in Russia or Belarus, explained the VMD. Similarly, if furniture is imported, for example from China or any other third country, whose manufacturers might use timber from Russia or Belarus, the possibility that it may contain raw materials from those countries must be excluded.
