Info-brief: EUTR enforcement in the Netherlands

The document outlines the Dutch legal framework for EUTR enforcement, identifying the Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA) as the Competent Authority. It details the penalty regime, which includes criminal sanctions such as imprisonment and pecuniary penalties, and reports that as of March 2016, approximately 25% of the 150 operators checked were found to be non-compliant. The briefing also explains the processes for NGOs to submit substantiated concerns and challenge operators through civil or criminal proceedings.

• The Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA) serves as the Competent Authority for EUTR enforcement in the Netherlands, supported by three full-time staff members and an annual budget of € 370,000.
• The Dutch penalty regime for EUTR offences includes criminal sanctions such as imprisonment for up to two years or pecuniary penalties up to € 20,250; however, if the value of illegally imported timber exceeds € 4,875, fines can increase to € 81,000.
• Compliance checks conducted by the Competent Authority up to March 2016 showed that roughly 25% of the 150 operators inspected were non-compliant. In one instance, the CA issued a conditional penalty of EUR 1800 per m3 of timber to a company importing from Cameroon.
• NGOs registered in the Netherlands that fight illegal logging can submit 'substantiated concerns' (SCs) as enforcement requests, to which the CA must generally respond within eight weeks.

APA

de Rouvre, D., & Koenig, M. (2017). Info-brief: EUTR enforcement in the Netherlands. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/1gbo0zts/2017-03-29-eutr-enforcement-in-the-netherlands-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

de Rouvre, Diane, and Moritz Koenig. Info-brief: EUTR enforcement in the Netherlands. ClientEarth, 2017. https://www.clientearth.org/media/1gbo0zts/2017-03-29-eutr-enforcement-in-the-netherlands-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Rouvre |first1=Diane |last2=Koenig |first2=Moritz |title=Info-brief: EUTR enforcement in the Netherlands |publisher=ClientEarth |date=March 2017 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/1gbo0zts/2017-03-29-eutr-enforcement-in-the-netherlands-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{derouvre2017infobrief, author = {de Rouvre, Diane and Koenig, Moritz}, title = {{Info-brief: EUTR enforcement in the Netherlands}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/1gbo0zts/2017-03-29-eutr-enforcement-in-the-netherlands-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }