In 2012, Laos submitted a letter of intention to the EU expressing its interest to become involved in the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process. Negotiations for a FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), a bilateral trade agreement that sets out the legal obligations to combat illegal logging and establish a timber legality assurance system (TLAS), commenced in 2015. The VPA is developed in a multi-stakeholder process, involving government, private sector and Civil Society Organizations.

The involvement of private sector actors ensures that their perspectives and experiences are considered, which promotes readiness to comply with TLAS once the VPA is implemented. Furthermore, it guarantees that the Lao forestry and wood processing sectors benefit from the VPA in various ways, including sustainable development and economic benefits. Laos’ engagement in the FLEGT VPA-process shows a strong commitment to sustainable forest management and reform processes fostering good forest governance.