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Due to the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and the EU sanctions, the Hungarian government is to impose an export ban on energy carriers, including firewood. The government will control the export of firewood, which is of strategic importance for the security of energy supply, said Agriculture Minister István Nagy.
In a statement sent to MTI on Tuesday, the minister pointed out that the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by Brussels have led to an energy crisis in Europe. Brussels has acknowledged that there is a gas shortage and may even impose gas restrictions on member states. An energy emergency is also in place in Hungary and extraordinary measures are needed to ensure a secure energy supply for Hungarian families. As well as buying new gas reserves and increasing gas production, the government is also taking emergency measures to control, regulate and, if necessary, ban the export of firewood abroad to ensure domestic fuel supplies,” István Nagy added.
Under the new decree, organizations and individuals exporting firewood are obliged to notify the National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) of all planned sales abroad, which will inform the Ministry of Agriculture. If there is a need to supply the Hungarian population and public authorities with the timber that the notifier intends to sell abroad, the Government will exercise its right of purchase under a new Decree and acquire the timber for domestic purposes through the designated state forest manager”.
It is very important that this is not a general ban, but an emergency regulation to ensure the energy needs of the Hungarian people,
István Nagy concluded. Under the provision, purchased firewood will be used to ensure the uninterrupted provision of public services by the state and municipalities.
The Minister recalled that wood, as a renewable energy source from sustainable farming, plays an important role in providing the heating energy needed by Hungarian families. The net annual production of timber from domestic forests is about 6.5 million cubic meters, which is less than the annual natural growth of forests, so the country can count on sustainably available timber in the long term. This year alone, state forestry holdings are licensed to harvest an additional 1.3 million cubic meters of firewood, which can be increased without the risk of damaging forests thanks to emergency measures and with proper official control,” the head of the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out.
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