13TH FLOOR TROPICAL FOREST CRIME SCENE

The European Commission, very much in favour of sustainable forest management, has a bit of a wood problem:

A painful confirmation by the European Commission that its headquarters contain 1,000 square metres of uncertified wood from the Indonesian tropical forest highlights the problem of illegally logged timber in the EU.

The commission press service on Friday (1 December) confirmed that uncertified plywood was used to renovate the 13th floor - where commission president Jose Manuel Barroso's office and the commissioners' rooms are located - despite Brussels' policy of not using dodgy materials in its buildings.

Greenpeace's Sebastien Risso calls it like it is:

"It is appalling to think that Commissioners are walking on the debris of one of the most precious forests on Earth while leading a prominent public relations campaign on the need to halt biodiversity loss."

The €750 fine will ensure nothing like this happens again.