Evidence Emerging from the Survey on European Union Timber Regulation [REG. (EU) 995/2010] in Italy

Illegal logging is a pervasive problem of major international concern that causes many negative social, economical and environmental consequences. EUTR is a tool adopted in 2010 and entered into force in 2013 to stop the trade of timber illegally logged within the EU market. The implementation in Italy is still in progress and varies among regions. This study considers the respondents’ opinions on different EUTR characteristics, implementation processes and compliance activities. Taking Italy as an example, the questionnaire was delivered to relevant Italian foresters and timber operators in the forest-timber system. Two hypotheses are under verification: 1) if Italian forest-wood-timber sector integrated EUTR into its activity and 2) if the Italian Due Diligence system is a valid model to other countries. The questionnaire has been submitted to the wood industry stakeholders. It has been organized into six sections to collect information about the professional characteristics of respondents, their experiences on EUTR, the opinion about EUTR and FLEGT, the support received on EUTR implementation, the opinion about the checks system, and the role of EUTR in marketing timber products. Questionnaire data have been elaborated in different ways. Conclusion underlines the EUTR Italian system criticalities and some suggestions for a more effective use of EUTR in the wood market. The picture that emerges from the results collected is that the EUTR, although proposed for morally and ethically valid purposes, doesn’t have unanimous effectiveness. In particular, EUTR can generate a distortion of the market, new expenditures for importers. Various operators applaud the role of certification schemes for sustainable forest management, which indirectly makes it possible to prevent the aforementioned problem. The Italian EUTR system is working only for satisfying Regulation 995/2010 targets. This must be considered as the starting point;however, three innovative topics could be developed in the future: digitalization and computerization of EUTR certification, integration of EUTR certification with forest certifications schemes and other quality certifications, and use of EUTR in the marketing initiatives.