Greenpeace stage timber protest in Brussels

12 May, 2004

Some 50 protestors from the environmental group Greenpeace staged a protest Tuesday against a new EU building in Brussels, claiming it was built using timber provided by illegal logging practices.
The group said the new Economic and Social Committee building used wood imported provided by firms in Indonesia using "illegal and destructive" logging practices.
"Greenpeace wants clarification from the EU (which is) at one time committee to developing plans to fight illegal logging and on the other hand uses suspect wood for its own needs," it said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the European Commission said the EU shared Greenpeace's concerns, although it declined to comment on the specific building protested again, saying it belonged to another EU institution.
"We are 100 percent on the same line as Greenpeace in the common fight against illegal logging," said spokeswoman Arancha Gonzalez. "We are as concerned as Greenpeace is."

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