We, civil society organizations, environmental activists, academics, and forestry practitioners have been informed that in response to import tariffs by the United States and to improve the export competitiveness of Indonesian wood furniture and handicraft products, the Ministry of Trade (MoT) and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (Coordinating Ministry) plan to deregulate 441 HS codes in the forestry sector, including making V-Legal documents optional for markets other than the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom and revoking the Due Diligence and Import Declaration obligations for wood products.
We are of the opinion that the relaxation of the obligation to guarantee the legality and sustainability of wood products is not the right choice. We believe that this step will have significant economic consequences. Therefore, together with this letter we attach the Joint Statement “Stop SVLK Weakening: The Economy and Credibility of Indonesian Wood Products are at stake in the Eyes of the World”.
