New EU laws to protect forests

New EU laws to protect the illegal logging of Irish forests are set to be introduced.

European Commissioner for Environment Stavros Dimas has said the move is aimed at reducing deforestation, which in turn will have a positive impact on the environment.

He said deforestation also has negative affects on global poverty, with over 60 million people depending directly on forests for their livelihood.

Dimas said the world's politicians should be looking ahead to next year's global agreement on climate change, and he's calling on the US presidential candidates to keep their election promises.