13.7.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 187/9 
Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a Community scheme to provide forests in 
the Community with increased protection against fire and acid rain 
(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 27 June 1983) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN 
COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, and in particular 
Articles 43 and 235 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Par­
liament, Whereas acid depositions, by their many direct and 
indirect effects on vegetation and the soil, contribute 
to the deterioration and even the death of forests; 
Whereas measurements of acid depositions on forests 
are not yet taken on the same permanent and general 
basis as they are in the large urban and industrial 
areas of the Community; 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas the protection of Community forests against 
fire and acid depositions is a matter of particular 
importance and urgency for the safeguarding of this 
essential resource which has a very great influence, 
through a wide variety of factors, on the maintenance 
of the basic equilibrium of our environment and 
which contributes in particular to the development of 
agriculture, a related sector heavily dependent on 
hydrological and pedo-climatic factors deriving from 
the various functions of the forest; Whereas forests should also be provided with appro­
priate monitoring installations in the form of 
networks of posts for the observation and 
measurement of acid depositions; 
Whereas multi-disciplinary investigations should be 
carried out to determine the effects of acid 
depositions on forests and to work out appropriate 
remedies; 
Whereas forest fires, by the extent of the damage 
which they cause each year, do irreversible harm to 
the environment, with consequences detrimental to 
the Community; whereas the losses thus entailed 
aggravate the Community's deficit in timber 
resources; 
Whereas increased protection against forest fires will 
generate employment in regions where economic 
conditions are particularly unfavourable; Whereas the effects of acid depositions take different 
forms from one Member State to another and from 
one forest area to another within each Member State; 
whereas, if the effect of such deposits is to be assessed 
objectively at Community level, they must be 
observed by uniform methods, the date should be 
centralized and all the information thus gathered 
should be processed; 
Whereas aid for the acquisition of equipment, both 
for the reinforcement of fire prevention and for the 
fighting of forest fires, will enable the Member States 
to supplement their defences; 
Whereas the effectiveness of measures to fight forest 
fires may be greatly increased by cooperation between 
Member States, including the provision of mutual 
assistance if necessary; 
Whereas voluntary mutual assistance in the event of 
forest fires may be more effective if measures are also 
taken to improve the training of staff and to 
harmonize fire-fighting methods; Whereas the results of the observations and research 
on preventive and curative measures should be the 
subject of full-scale tests in appropriate pilot areas so 
that the validity of the said results can be checked 
and so that, where appropriate, they may be 
circulated and made more widely available; 
Whereas the Community should help to finance the 
implementation of the various measures for the 
protection of forests against fires and acid 
depositions; whereas the estimated funds required 
amount to 100 million ECU; 
No C 187/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 13.7.83 
Whereas the Treaty makes no provision for the 
necessary power, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
A Community scheme is hereby established to provide 
Community forests with increased protection against: 
— forest fires, 
— acid depositions. 
TITLE I 
Forest fires 
Article 2 
The Community schdme shall comprise the 
implementation of stricter preventive measures 
including: 
— encouragement for the creation of jobs relating to 
the conduct and execution of brush-clearance and 
pruning operations, 
— the purchase of brush-clearance equipment, 
— the provision of forest roads, fire belts and water 
supplies, 
— the installation of ground lookout systems, both 
fixed and mobile, 
— the development of aerial lookout systems, 
— the organization of information and awareness 
campaigns, particularly amongst the population of 
school age. 
Article 3 
The Community scheme shall comprise the 
implementation of fire-fighting measures including: 
— the installation of tactical and operational centres, 
, — the purchase of fire-fighting equipment, 
— the purchase of fire-fighting aids such as 
retardants and wetting agents. 
Article 4 
The Community scheme shall comprise the 
implementation of specific measures designed to 
increase the effectiveness of fire prevention and fire-
fighting by the following means: (a) developing personnel training; 
(b) encouraging the harmonization of methods and 
the standardization of infrastructure and 
equipment; 
(c) coordinating the research necessary for achieving 
the objectives mentioned in (a) and (b). 
Article 5 
To assist any Member State to control a forest fire 
which is beyond its own fire-fighting capacity, the 
Member States shall cooperate by providing voluntary 
mutual assistance. 
The Commission, having consulted the Committee 
referred to in Article 6, shall establish a standardized 
system of providing such assistance and shall 
coordinate the application thereof. 
The Community shall provide financial assistance by 
bearing the costs of transporting fire-fighting 
equipment and personnel from their usual base to the 
location of the fire. 
At the request of the Member States concerned, the 
Commission shall decide on the grant of Community 
aid. 
Article 6 
An Advisory Committee on Forest Fire Protection is 
hereby set up. 
The Committee shall consist of two representatives 
from each Member State. 
It shall be chaired by a representative of the 
Commission. 
TITLE II 
Acid depositions 
Article 7 
The Community scheme shall comprise the 
establishment of a network to monitor forest health in 
the Community. 
The principal object of the network shall be to 
observe acid depositions and the deficiencies of 
vegetation and forest floors in the Community in 
order to measure their effects on the health and 
growth of trees and to determine, where necessary, 
appropriate preventive or curative measures to ensure 
the safeguard and development of Community forest 
resources. 
13.7.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 187/11 
The network shall consist of a series of posts located 
in the main forest areas of the Community. The 
location of these posts shall be decided by the 
Commission acting on a proposal from the Member 
States concerned and after consulting the Scientific 
Committee provided for in Article 9, so as to ensure 
that the results provided by the network are repre­
sentative. 
Article 8 
The Community scheme shall comprise the setting up 
in each Member State of a multi-disciplinary team of 
scientists including forestry engineers, agronomists, 
soil scientists, chemists, entomologists, climatologists 
and environmentalists. 
The tasks of the national multi-disciplinary teams 
shall be: 
— to draw up, at periodic intervals, forest health 
reports with special reference to acid depositions 
and to quantify the impact of preventive and 
protective measures, 
— to define an overall approach to combat the 
effects of acid depositions on forests, on the basis 
of the data gathered by the monitoring network. 
Article 9 
The Commission shall be responsible for providing 
scientific guidance, supervision and follow-up for the 
national multi-disciplinary teams. 
It shall be supported by: 
— research institutes designated by it in the light of 
their experience and capacities, 
— a Scientific Committee for the protection of 
forests against acid depositions consisting of 
representatives of the multi-disciplinary teams. 
The Committee shall be chaired by a representative of 
the Commission. 
For the scientific supervision of the scheme, the 
Commission may call in scientific advisers. 
Article 10 
The Community scheme shall comprise the carrying 
out: 
— of full-scale experiments to test the effectiveness 
of preventive and curative methods, 
— of pilot projects and demonstrations to make the 
results more widely known. TITLE III 
General and financial provisions 
Article 11 
The duration of the Community scheme shall be five 
years as from 1 January 1984. 
The Community shall participate in this activity up to 
the limit of appropriations entered to this effect in the 
general budget of the European Communities, and 
according to the terms of this Regulation. 
Article 12 
Before 1 November of each year the Member States 
shall submit to the Commission, in respect of the 
following year, their programmes for the protection 
of forests against fire and acid depositions. 
The programmes shall: 
(a) specify the geographical areas concerned; 
(b) describe the existing situation; 
(c) describe the objectives to be attained and state 
priorities; 
(d) contain an estimate of the costs and necessary 
financial resources with, as appropriate, an 
indication of the projected rate of expenditure. 
For the first year, programmes shall be submitted to 
the Commission by the Member State before 1 March 
1984. 
The Commission, having consulted the Committee 
provided for in Article 6 as regards fires and the 
Scientific Committee provided for in Article 9 as 
regards acid depositions, shall assess these 
programmes and decide on the financial aid from the 
Community. 
Article 13 
The Commission shall provide the necessary coordi­
nation for the implementation of all measures 
included in the Community scheme established by this 
Regulation, by organizing: 
— meetings and symposia, 
— study visits and expert reports, 
No C 187/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 13.7.83 
The Commission shall keep a list of the means 
available for fighting forest fires and for dealing with 
acid depositions in forests, together with the 
corresponding facilities at the disposal of the Member 
States. 
Article 14 
The Community financial contribution towards the implementation of the various 
measures included in the Community scheme provided for in Article 1 shall be as 
follows: 
I. Forest fires 
1. Stricter preventive measures as 
referred to in Article 2: 
2. Fire-fighting measures as referred to 
in Article 3: 
3. Specific measures as referred to in 
Article 4: 
4. Voluntary mutual assistance as 
referred to in Article 5 : 
5. Coordination as referred to in Article 
6: 
II. Acid depositions 
1. Setting up of the monitoring network 
as referred to in Article 7 : 
2. Setting up and operation of multi-
disciplinary teams of scientists as 
referred to in Article 8: 
3. Coordination of the work referred to 
in Article 9: 
4. Financing of pilot projects and 
demonstrations, as referred to in 
Article 10: 
Article 15 
Member States shall designate the authorities or agencies empowered to carry out the 
programmes and the authorities and agencies to which the Commission will reimburse 
the sums corresponding to the financial contributions from the Community. 
Article 16 
Member States shall adopt, in accordance with their national laws, regulations and 
administrative provisions, the measures necessary to: 
— ensure that the operations financed by the Community are actually carried out in the 
proper manner, 
— prevent irregularities, 
— recover sums lost as a result of any irregularity or negligence. 
Member States shall provide the Commission with all the necessary information and shall 
make any arrangements which may facilitate the checks, including on-the-spot 
inspections, which the Commission considers appropriate for the purposes of Community 
financing. Member States shall inform the Commission of the arrangements made to this 
end. — exchanges of research workers and specialists, 
— training courses and practical assessment tests, 
— the circulation and dissemination of the results of 
the work. 
maximum of 30 % of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 30 % of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 50 % of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 100 % of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 100 °/o of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 50 °/o of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 50 °/o of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 100 % of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission 
maximum of 100 % of the expenditure 
approved by the Commission. 
13.7.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 187/13 
Article 17 
The Commission shall present an annual report on progress in the field covered by this 
Regulation to the European Parliament and the Council. 
Article 18 
The Commission, after consulting the Committee provided for in Article 6 as regards fire 
and the Scientific Committee provided for in Article 9 as regards acid depositions, shall, 
where necessary, adopt the procedure for implementing this Regulation. 
Article 19 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Communities. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member 
States.