Jun 30, 2008. /Lesprom.com/. Greenpeace has urged European governments to follow the lead of their American counterparts and legislate to prevent the problem of illegal timber from escalating, KMS Baltics reported. The pressure group says it is "insane" that there is still no law preventing illegal timber from across the world, in places like the Amazon for example, ending up in the UK. Equally, Greenpeace says other countries in Europe have a similarly lax approach to clamping down on the issue, although there are moves afoot in Brussels. Next month draft legislation is expected to be heard by the European Commission following a proposal by environment commissioner Stavros Dimas. If backed it will then go to the European Council and Parliament for their approval, although the proposal is expected to ignite debate. Events in Europe, which is the largest importer of timber in the world, could echo the current stance in the US where the purchase, sale, import and transport of products derived from illegally harvested wood is to become a federal crime.