To avoid the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which requires importing companies to conduct due diligence to ensure legality in the supply chain, European companies may import illegally harvested timber from Myanmar through companies in low enforcement zones in Croatia, Italy and Greece.

Because only the importing company needs to demonstrate due diligence, once timber is successfully imported, companies can purchase it with no further requirement to illustrate due diligence. Unscrupulous companies search for countries with weaker enforcement of EUTR standards in order to game the system and avoid serious scrutiny of timber efforts.

According to an investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (2020b) from 2017–2019 approximately 144 tons of Myanmar teak was illegally imported into the EU in 10 separate shipments valued at over USD 1 million. Once illegally imported, the timber was sold to companies operating in Western Europe, some of which have been involved in past violations of the EUTR.