The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture issued a decree on a two-year ban on the exports of oak logs, The main reason is that the oak trees have been infested by the bark beetle in as many as 14 Croatian counties. Unofficially, this is one of measures to halt the enormous outflow of raw materials from Croatia to the EU countries, the Croatian media reported.
The measure taken by the Minister of Agriculture, Tomislav Tolušić, caused a wave of positive reactions from representatives of the Croatian wood industry, as well as citizens who welcome the ban and the halt of the long-standing export of valuable wood.
Of Croatia's total wood exports in 2016, which amounted to EUR 1.09 billion, it is estimated that almost a third relates to exports of raw materials, while the domestic wood industry has problems with the supply of raw materials for its production.