Meeting of CETA Bilateral Dialogue on Forest Products

23 May 2018

Report

Canada and the European Union (EU) held a productive first meeting of the CETA Bilateral Dialogue on Forest Products (BDFP) on May 23, 2018 by videoconference with participants in Brussels and Ottawa. Discussion topics included:

• Working arrangements for the Dialogue. Parties agreed to hold annual videoconferences as the default BDFP meeting arrangement, while continuing intersessional dialogues and cooperation through email.
• Resource efficiency of wood-based materials, products & systems. Discussions covered EU circular economy targets for wood and paper, cascading use of woody biomass, and both Parties’ initiatives to meet climate objectives and emission reduction targets.
• Legality and sustainability of wood-based raw materials and products including the EU Timber Regulation.
• Wood-based product standards, accreditation (testing and marking) and acceptance, including plant-health legislation and phytosanitary measures for traded wood, the EU construction products regulation, and EU marking requirements related to pre-fabricated structures. 
• Hazard-based approach to the regulation of plant protection products/biocides. Canada indicated its interest in the EU’s continued acceptance of wood products treated with certain active substances used for wood preservatives.
• EU-Canada cooperation on research and innovation was only briefly discussed due to time constraints. Parties agreed to exchange presentations and other materials following the meeting.

Canada and the EU agreed to a number of action items related to providing additional information on the topics discussed above.

The results of the meeting will be reported to the CETA Joint Committee.