On 16 January 2019, members of the Ukrainian parliament petitioned for an export ban on firewood. The draft law “On the protection of the Ukrainian forests” implies a moratorium on exports of firewood.

The main goal of this is to close the loophole that exists in the ban on log exports, which has been in force since November 2015 and January 2017. As for now, only round wood with a maximum length of 2 m declared under the customs tariff 4401 is exempted from the ban on exports. Wood-based panel and pulp manufacturers in southeast and central Europe are using the possibilities, for example, to import industrial wood from the Ukraine legally even though the ban on log exports exists.

Information provided according to www.euwid-wood-products.com