Institutional and actor-oriented factors influencing timber legality in selected Western Balkan countries: Multiple case study of Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, and the Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

This paper investigates timber legality issues in the Western Balkans by examining the coherence of national policy frameworks in five Western Balkan countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Republic of Srpska, BH) with the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) requirements. The study uses a multiple-embedded case study design to investigate national policies and regulations on preventing and tackling illegal logging and those dealing with the trade in timber and timber products. A qualitative content analysis of retrieved documents was conducted to check the extent to which EUTR requirements are covered. Interviews with 36 key actors across selected countries were conducted to analyse their perceptions of the EUTR and the recently approved European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), focusing on awareness, transparency, information flow, resources, and challenges of ensuring timber legality. The study also distinguished institutional and actor-oriented factors influencing the transposition of EUTR and forthcoming EUDR requirements into national policies and forest management practices. The contribution offers a comparative gap analysis of EU requirements' incorporation within targeted countries' national policy frameworks and an overview of common and opposing perceptions on timber legality and legitimate forestry practices among key stakeholders in five Western Balkan countries.