Mar 22, 2012. /Lesprom Network/. The Government of Guyana has proposed to the European Union to start negotiating a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA), which will help ensure that only timber verified to be legal under Guyana law can be exported to the European Union, as The European Forest Institute said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. The government formally expressed its intention to join the FLEGT initiative to the EU delegation in Guyana in Georgetown on Thursday, 8 March, in a statement by Robert Persaud, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment. "It is a voluntary programme but also it is one which demonstrates Guyana's commitment in ensuring that we practice in terms of the forestry sector and the utilization our resources we maintain international benchmarks" the minister said. The Government of Guyana first expressed interest in FLEGT in December 2009 to the EU. Voluntary partnership agreements promote better enforcement of national forest laws and an inclusive approach involving civil society and the private sector. The European Forest Institute is hosting and managing the EU FLEGT Facility, which has the role of supporting the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan.