We are delighted to introduce the Spring 2015 edition of the ENPI FLEG II newsletter, which shares the latest project news with us at the European Union, with other donors, and with all project counterparts in the partner countries — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia.

As you read through the latest project developments, you will certainly notice the importance of working together — across institutions and across borders — to combat illegal logging and improve forest governance. In fact, both phases of the ENPI FLEG programme, which the European Union has financed since 2008, have supported the implementation of the common commitments taken at the European and Northern Asian Ministerial Declaration on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance in 2005. Besides concrete national activities, which have helped for example to improve legislation on forest management and raise awareness on illegal logging, the project has also supported regional studies, trainings, and exchange of results.

At this advanced stage of the ENPI FLEG II implementation, we would like to highlight the importance to evaluate the progress made so far and also consider what can be done better in the future. If you have ideas about how to ensure proper followup of successful actions or replication in other countries, how to apply the lessons learned from the past implementation, and how to draw on the latest best practices internationally and in the EU Member states and institutions, please share them with the project management team or with us at the European Commission. Practical suggestions on how to develop further synergies with other EU-funded projects in the field of environment, such as Clima East Pilots, Emerald Network, and Shared Environmental Information Systems would also be very welcome. Let’s work together to maximize the impacts of our joint actions!