VPA Indonesia - Briefing Note 2011

What is the impact and the function of SILK (Sucofindo/SVLK?) as announced by the Indonesian Gouvernment on 01-08-2012? Will SILK control and sign the FLEGT/VPA licence for export of wood products to Europe as well or is this the responsibility of LVS (the Conformity Assessment Body?). I assume this announcement is very confusing for importers/agents/etc. Who can answer me on this question? Comment by Symaco Netherlands.

Ted,

SILK is the name of the new information system on timber legality in Indonesia. According to the details provided on the occasion of the lauching of SILK last week, accredited auditors who conduct assessments of legality compliance are also responsible for the issuance of legality certificates (V-Legal).

The Multi-Stakeholders Forestry Program issued a press release last week on the subject inviting interested parties to contact the persons below for more information:

Rio Rovihandono (Fasilitator MFP) Arbi Valentinus (Fasilitator MFP)
Email: bekantan09@gmail.com Email: arbivalentinus@gmail.com

Hi Ted and Portevin

Rio hasn't joined the group yet, but asked me to forward this response:

SILK or License Information Unit is developed to respond and respect the agreement of VPA between EU and RI as stipulated in theVPA Legal text in Annex 4 (see para 4 & 5) as I quoted bellow.

So it will not change anything that already concluded in our negotiation with EU.  In regard to the question: The licensing authority is LVs ( or conformity assessment body), SILK is unit/agency that manage timber legality information system (LIU) under ministry of forestry The system  provide web service based application that will use all the LV's to endorse the timber/wood product export or to issued V-Legal Document.

The mechanism is describe such as:

(1)  The registered exporter (auditee) propose for the issuance of V-Legal Document (in EU called FLEGT License) to the conformity assessment body (LVs). The LVs will submission the V-Legal Document through License Information Unit on line system in The DG Forest Utilization, Ministry of Forestry.

(2) The on line application form of V-Legal Document consisted the information of type of timber, volume of timber and timber product etc. will be examine  automatically through LIU system and will connected to INATRADE system in DG of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Trade that connects, for export registration to the portal of the Indonesian National Single Window (INSW) System at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance for export registration. 

 This system would also allow the customs departments of export destination countries to obtain certainty or clarification of the legality of timber from Indonesia.

 a

Thank you

Article 4

Licensing Authorities

1.The Licensing Authorities shall verify that timber products have been legally produced in accordance with the legislation listed in Annex II. The Licensing Authorities shall issue FLEGT licences covering shipments of legally-produced timber products for export to the Union.

2.The Licensing Authorities shall not issue FLEGT licences for any timber products that are composed of, or include, timber products imported into Indonesia from a third country in a form in which the laws of that third country forbid export, or for which there is evidence that those timber products were produced in contravention of the laws of the country where the trees were harvested.

 3.The Licensing Authorities shall maintain and make publicly available its procedures for issuing FLEGT Licences. The Licensing Authorities shall also maintain records of all shipments covered by FLEGT Licences and consistent with national legislation concerning data protection shall make these records available for the purposes of independent monitoring, while respecting the confidentiality of exporters’ proprietary information.

 4.Indonesia shall establish a Licence Information Unit that will serve as a contact point for communications between the competent authorities and the Licensing Authorities as set out in Annexes III and V.

5.              5 Indonesia shall notify the European Commission of the contact details of the Licensing Authorities and the Licence Information Unit. The Parties shall make this information available to the public.

 Best Regards

Rio Rovihandono

Legality Governance Facilitator

Multistakeholder Forestry Program

there's also a PDF file of FAQs - can't work out how to add this here, so I'll try to upload it!

@ Jill: I am from the support team of the site and I guess that the link to the document you have uploaded should be added to your post so there it is:

http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/file/30/08/2012_-_…

Thank you Mugerin for your information.

We are operational allready as monitoring organisation (advise only) to prepare small companies, mainly agents (marketdrivers) traders and importers for coming Regulation. We do not have accreditation yet from EU Comitee or country authority. We will send in our application to operate as assessor (as M.O.) soon. Now, we are setting up Due Diligence Systems (DDS) for 5 companies ( operating as independent monitor, no sales or trade or binded to any certification system or trade organisation).  

First question:  Who will get entrance on line to check proper on VPA/SILK releases, documents, etc ?  

Second question: Who is for Belgium involved to inform the Belgium Market Operators. As Symaco we organise a EU-TR seminar/workshop on the 26th of September in Vianen Utrecht NL. Three or four comanies from Belgium will attend this workshop as well, so I will inform them properly about the progress of Belgium Authority in this matter. 

Thank you for answers on those two questions. Symaco, Ted Wiegman

Jill and Thibaut: thanks for your comment, clear enough for me.
@Jill & Rio fascilitator of MFP: my next three questions referring on Annex 4: article 3, 4 and 5. On which platform can an independent monitoring organisation, like Symaco, do data control referring to the FLEGT Licence and related export documents? We do control for several importing companies who will prevent wrong imports. Normally between the moment of buying and exporting the timber or timber products goods sometimes 6-8 months are in between. How will the FLEGT licence guaranty that the bought timber is under FLEGT Licence at the time of a signed sales contract? Who can or will get entree to the on line publicly information? Thanks, Symaco Ted Wiegman