11.07.2025
On July 4, 2025, TRAFFIC published a new guide entitled “New Guide for Legal Timber Trade between Central African Rainforest and the EU”, intended to assist timber exporters and importers along the supply chain from Cameroon to the European Union.
This guide comes at a time when new European regulations on deforestation are coming into force, notably the European Deforestation Regulation.
This guide offers a step-by-step approach to understanding and complying with legal requirements. It is primarily intended for actors involved in the trade of timber from Cameroon to the EU, but is also relevant for other markets and countries in the region.
TRAFFIC details the steps of the due diligence process and the elements necessary to prove the legality and sustainability of exported timber products, based on the regulatory frameworks in force.
Although focused on Cameroon, this guide recognizes the country's role as a transit hub for timber from other Central African countries. To enhance transparency and legality verification in the region, TRAFFIC has also developed national timber legality frameworks for:
· the Central African Republic (CAR),
· the Republic of Congo,
· Gabon,
· the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
· Equatorial Guinea,
· and Cameroon.
These tools enable economic operators and authorities to better document the compliance of timber exported to the EU and beyond, in accordance with the new regulations.
This new guide is a valuable resource for forestry companies, European importers, NGOs, and governments seeking to ensure responsible, transparent, and sustainable timber trade in line with growing sustainability requirements.
