Indonesia and the European Union have reached a voluntary partnership agreement aimed at stopping trade in illegal timber, said Agus Sarsito, Director for International Cooperation at the Indonesia Ministry of Forestry. The agreement is expected to be signed by both sides in October. The pact, designed to protect the third largest tropical forest nation in the world, will likely make Indonesian timber more competitive in other markets, such as the United States, that have adopted illegal timber curbing policies, according to the EU. By some metrics, Indonesia is one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, owing to massive deforestation, and Norway has pledged $1 billion dollars to the scheme to help fight climate change. Sarisito said that the EU receives about 33 percent of the country's timber exports, with the rest going to the United States and Japan, and about 20 percent of timber coming into the EU is believed to be illegal. The deal, which replicates some measures found in 2008 amendments to the Lacey Act, means that the EU will only be able to import timber certified as complying with Indonesian timber laws. In addition, forest communities will be allowed to push for suspension of a company's timber exports if they can find evidence of illegal deforestation. This measure follows a law passed by the European Parliament in 2010 imposing stricter requirements on timber importers. For the full story, see http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/05/05/general-as-indonesia-eu-timber_8451453.html and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13272393. For the story on the 2010 law, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10557228.