The St. Petersburg Declaration (SPD) was signed at the Europe and North Asia Ministerial Conference on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2005. It is an expression of commitment by 44 governments from the Europe and North Asia region, the European Commission, and other participant countries to take action to address illegal logging and associated forest crimes. The European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) I (2008-2012) and II (2012- 2016) programs were mobilized to support the implementation of the SPD and to improve forest law enforcement and governance in seven countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine. Together these countries cover more than 20% of the world's forests, mainly due to the extensive forest areas in Russia. 

This report aims to provide decision makers and other stakeholders an assessment of how forest law enforcement and governance has been addressed in the seven participant countries since the signing of the SPD. The observations, conclusions, and recommendations are based on a review of information previously provided by the program’s three implementing organizations (the World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature) on other previously published program reports, on the results of a survey submitted to the national FLEG Focal Points in the seven participant countries, and on information obtained through interviews with selected key experts.