European statistics on timber exports from Ukraine differ from Kyiv by 250 times
The data of the Ukrainian and European statistical agencies on the export of round timber from Ukraine to the EU after the introduction of a moratorium by the Verkhovna Rada differs hundreds of times, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This was reported by the Kiev edition of European Truth.
According to the law adopted by Ukraine, an absolute ban on this export has been in effect since January 1, 2017 (the moratorium on hardwood has been in effect since 2015; last year it was supplemented by a ban on the export of pine).
According to Ukrainian statistics, the export of unprocessed wood has actually stopped: if in 2016 Ukraine supplied 840 thousand tons of round timber to the EU, then in 2017 - only 2 thousand tons.
At the same time, EU statistics provide fundamentally different data. According to Eurostat, in 2017, 477 thousand tons of round timber were exported from Ukraine to the EU. And a year ago, when a partial moratorium was in effect, 1,32 million tons entered the European Union (and not 840 thousand tons, as in Ukrainian statistics).
As the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting notes, part of the round timber is exported from Ukraine under the guise of “firewood”. After all, half a million tons less “firewood” crosses the EU border than leaves Ukraine.
The publication notes that the lifting of the moratorium has disappeared from the list of requirements for receiving the new macro-financial program of the European Union. In this matter, the EU decided to use the bilateral dispute resolution mechanism prescribed in the Association Agreement.
This step could become a precedent in the history of the EU. Several representatives of the European Union immediately stated that Brussels had never before had to initiate arbitration with partners with whom the EU agreed on free trade.
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