Brussels, Belgium - The Republic of Congo and the European Union (EU) on Monday concluded an agreement here to fight illegal export of timber, according to the Action Plan for the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), adopted by the EU in 2003.

According to a statement sent Tuesday to the press in Brussels, FLEGT aims to "implement voluntary partnership agreements with timber producing countries to prevent the entry of illegal timber on the European market."

To ensure the traceability of wood products, the agreement expects operators to provide information relating to the description, country of origin, volume and weight of products marketed and the address of the supplier in Africa.

The statement said the Republic of Congo is the first country in the Congo Basin Forest and the largest in the world after that of the Amazon, to have signed an agreement on the exploitation of timber with the European Union.

Negotiations are underway between the EU and other Congo Basin countries for the signing of agreements on the sustainable exploitation of forests.

Wood exports generate an income of euro 250 million per year for the Congolese economy, representing the second source of revenue of the country, after oil.