Forests are a valuable resource in the Balkan region, but also an opportunity for corruption.

The six Balkan countries seeking to join the EU do not have a viable study on illegal logging. Further, forest policy and legislation do not comply with the requirements of the EU. There are no reliable data at country level on forests and management structures, or on losses of forest areas through legal/illegal cutting and forest fires.

Concerning illegal logging, it appears: in public forests without permission; in protected areas; through false reporting of the volumes of felled wood; and in private forests on a non-sustainable basis, particularly felling trees for firewood. Smuggling and illegal accounting are also part of corrupt practices.

As a contribution to International Day of Forests on 21 March 2019, CNVP Foundation, Forest and Environment Action (FEA) and Green Home, in cooperation with relevant authorities in Macedonia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, are implementing Regional action for combating forest crime and corruption, a three year project funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.