THE EU POSITION IN THE GLOBAL TIMBER TRADE ENVIRONMENT

The effects of globalization on the world economy has been observed for a long time. The impact of these changes is also noticeable in the case of the wood and wood products trade. International wood and wood products market is constantly developing and traditional trade patterns are shaped by global megatrends such as demographic changes, social and economic development, climate change, and technological progress. A share of the EU industrial wood and wood products trade is nearly 50% of the global trade thus making the EU one of the world's strongest trading blocks. With such substantial volumes traded worldwide, the impact of global market development on the EU market is significant. The aim of this paper is to analyze the recent global wood and wood products market trends and to evaluate the contribution of the EU countries to the global trade in terms of traded volumes and values. In particular, the development of production, export, import and consumption of industrial wood, sawn wood, wood-based panels, pulp and paper and paperboard is analyzed. Based on these particular analyses, it is possible to identify the EU position from the global perspective. The results show that the EU as a key trading partner holds its long-term stable and important position in the global trade, however, the development of individual commodity markets shows significant differences thus making the region either net exporter or net importer of individual commodities.