Are Paper Laws Coming to a Country Near You?

According to the folks at Digital Nirvana, paper legality laws are coming to a continent near you:

In a mere 22 months if you print on paper anywhere in the European Union (EU), there will no longer be a choice. Verified legal timber product sourcing, including pulp and paper, will become law.

Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 lays down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market – also known as the (Illegal) Timber Regulation counters the trade in illegally harvested timber and timber products through three key obligations:

1.    It prohibits the placing on the EU market for the first time of illegally harvested timber and products derived from such timber; 2.    It requires EU traders who place timber products on the EU market for the first time to exercise 'due diligence'; 3.    Keep records of their suppliers and customers.

The Regulation covers a broad range of timber products including solid wood products, flooring, plywood, pulp and paper. Interestingly though, not included among a few other products such as rattan and bamboo are recycled products and printed papers such as books, magazines and newspapers.

There's also some information about similar laws in Australia, Canada, and yes, even the USA. Will the government ultimately regulate the paper industry with a heavy hand?