Trade flows, unit prices and roundwood market integration in northern Europe

Roundwood markets in Northern Europe have changed significantly due to the enlargement of EU in 1995 and 2004, and the formation of a common currency union between the 12 EU countries in 2001. However, wider research on the larger context of interaction between national markets in European Union is yet largely missing. This study shortly assesses roundwood market development and integration in Northern Europe. First, international roundwood and chips trade is studied by using simple descriptive analyses and annual national data from EFI’s and FAO’s databases for coniferous roundwood trade in 1980-2004. We classify countries as net importers or exporters of roundwood and examine how the trade flows have evolved over time. Second, we explore how the unit values of the roundwood and chips exports and imports have developed during 1980-2004, and explore signs for deepening integration of the roundwood markets in terms of convergence of unit prices and price variances. The results indicate that coniferous roundwood trade has been mainly moving from east (Russia, Baltic States) to west (Finland, Sweden, Norway), even though there has also been a small trading centre around Austria. The unit price development reveals that national export and import prices have clearly converged during the last decade.