Chilean authorities detain EU-bound timber from Bolivia in Arica ports; risk to EU timber supply
Chilean authorities detain EU-bound timber from Bolivia in Arica ports; risk to EU timber supply PE795.549v01-00 Priority question for written answer P-003338/2026 to the Commission Rule 144 Sebastian Kruis (PfE) Subject: Detention in Chilean ports of EU-bound timber from legally operating, FSC- certified exporters in Bolivia Since June 2026, Chilean authorities have detained large volumes of Bolivian timber in ports such as Arica on suspicion of drug impregnation. Bolivian authorities have publicly cited laboratory results as negative or as ‘false positives’. Nevertheless, port containers belonging to formally established operators – including exporters that produce to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards and comply with EU due diligence and deforestation rules – remain blocked without container-specific evidence being disclosed. These EU-bound shipments involve European importers and threaten the continuity of legal timber supply to the EU, while generalised suspicion harms compliant companies. 1. Will the Commission, as a matter of urgency, raise these detentions with Chile – including through the bodies established under the EU-Chile Interim Trade Agreement and Advanced Framework Agreement – to obtain container-specific information and secure swift release where no evidence of wrongdoing exists? 2. How will the Commission protect the commercial interests of the EU importers affected and prevent lawful, certified operators from being penalised by collective suspicion? 3. In the reform of the EU Customs Union, how will the EU Customs Data Hub, EU-level risk management, trusted trader recognition and customs cooperation with non-EU countries be used to ensure that legitimate, compliant consignments are reliably distinguished and that such disproportionate detentions do not recur? Submitted: 26.8.2026