Independent Panel Finds Ukraine’s 2015 Ban of All Unprocessed Wood into the EU Illegal

A dispute settlement panel has ruled that the Ukraine’s ban of all unprocessed wood exports to the EU in 2015 is incompatible with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. As a result, the Ukraine is expected to terminate the export ban as soon as possible. This finding concludes the first ever EU trade dispute under the bilateral agreement with the Ukraine. The EU has been supporting Ukraine with various projects, including support to environmental protection, public administration, and forest management, including the development of value chains for non-timber forest products and a multi-purpose forest management.