27.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC106/1
II
(PreparatoryActs)
ECONOMIC ANDSOCIALCOMMITTEE
Opinionon:
—theproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)amendingRegulation (EEC)No3528/86
ontheprotectionoftheCommunity'sforestsagainstatmosphericpollution,and
—theproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)onprotectionoftheCommunity'sforests
againstfire(!)
(92/C106/01)
On29November1991theCouncil,actinginaccordancewithArticle130SoftheEEC
Treaty,askedtheEconomicandSocialCommitteeforanOpinionontheabovementioned
proposals.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
3March1992.TheRapporteurwasMrPellarini.
Atits295thPlenarySession,heldon25March1992,theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote.
TheCommitteeapprovesthetwoproposalsforCouncil
Regulations ,subjecttothecommentssetoutbelow.1.3.TheCommitteenotesthefollowingproposals
inparticular :
—inthefieldofatmosphericpollution,itisproposed
thattheexistingEuropeannetworkoftreeobser­
vationplotsbelinkedtoamoreintensiveforest
monitoringnetworkwithaviewtoimproving
knowledgeoftheforestecosystem/pollutantsinter­
action,
—inthefieldofprotectionagainstfire,itisproposed
thattheCommunity'seffortsbeconcentratedon
high-riskfirezones,thatECaidbeallocatedmore
effectivelyandthatadatabankbedevelopedto
improvetheeffectivenessoffire-protection systems
and,inparticular,theanalysisofthecausesofforest
fires.1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommitteerecognizestheurgentneedto
extendthetwoRegulationsunderreviewinorderto
preventalegislativevoiddevelopinginareaswhichare
offundamentalimportancefortheprotectionofthe
Community'sforests.
1.2.Afterconsideringthereportsinrespectofthe
twoRegulations ,andinthelightoftheOpinionwhich
itissuedin1989,theCommitteeseesthejustification
fortheamendmentswhichitisproposedtointroduce
withaviewtomakingthetwoRegulationsmoreeffec­
tive.
2.Generalcomments
2.1.TheCommitteeisfirmlyconvincedofthecen­
tralroletobeplayedbyforestryinrespectofboth
agriculturalpolicyand,moregenerally,overallecon­ nOJNoC312,3.12.1991,p.7.

NoC106/2 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 27.4.92
menttobeheldinBrazilinJune1992.TheCommittee
notesthatintheCommission'scommunication onEC
guidelinesinthisfield[doc.SEC(91)1693]thereisa
chapterondeforestation ,thedeterioratingconditionof
forestsandthecontribution whichtheestablishment of
newforestareasmaymaketoslowingdowntherate
ofglobalclimaticchange.
2.3.1.TheCommitteenoteswithsatisfactionthatin
theresolutionbeingpreparedbytheEuropeanParlia­
mentonthismatter,particularattentionispaidtothe
conservationanddevelopmentofforests.
2.3.2.TheCommitteenotesthatintheExplanatory
Memorandum tothedraftRegulationsunderreview,
theCommissionstatesthatitispreparingarevisionof
alltheforestrymeasures,incloseconnectionwiththe
reformoftheCAP.TheCommitteefurthernotes,how­
ever,thattheCommissioncontinuestobaseitsaction
onextensionsofRegulationsbecauseofitsconcernto
preventlegislativevoidsoccurring.
2.4.TheCommitteeexpressesitsconcernoverthe
factthatthedraftRegulationscontainnoestimatesof
thefinancialresourcesallocatedthereto.Suchestimates
wereprovidedinrespectoftheearlierRegulations .omicpolicyobjectives.InthiscontexttheCommittee
woulddrawattentiontoitsearlierOpiniononthe
matter(*)inwhichithighlightedtheeconomicroleof
forestryasasourceofrawmaterialsandaproviderof
employment ,andtheimportanceofforestsforthe
balanceofnatureinthebroadestsenseoftheterm.
2.1.1.Forestrydoesindeedplayanessentialrolein
maintainingabalancedeco-system,theprotectionof
geomorphological featuresofthelandscape,environ­
mentalprotectionandinstructuringandenrichingthe
landscape.Forestryalsohascleareconomicimpli­
cations:woodlandsprovideatouristattraction,offer
opportunitiesforleisureactivitiesandprovideasupply
ofrenewablerawmaterialandasourceofemployment .
2.1.2.Forestsareoneofthekeyelementsinpromot­
ingdevelopment :theyprovidearawmaterialofwhich
thereisashortfallinproductionintheEC;theyprovide
socialfacilitieswhichenhancethequalityoflife;and,
by'cleaning'theatmosphere,theymakepossible
environmentally-compatible development .
2.2.Forestryistherefore,intheCommittee'sview,
astrategicresourceandthereisaneedforanoverall
structuralpolicytosafeguardforestsinEurope.Such
apolicyisalsoimportantinthelightofthecontribution
tobemadebytheCommunitytotheprotectionofeco­
systemsandtheattainmentofsustainabledevelopment
atworldlevel.
2.2.1.TheecologicalandeconomicvalueofEurope's
forestsandthecontributionwhichtheymaketo
enhancingthelandscapecannolongerbedisregarded
andmadesubordinatetootherconsiderations .Pro­
ducersofforestryproductsmustbeprovidedwith
adequateincentivestosafeguardforestsandensure
theiroptimaldevelopment ,inkeepingwiththecharac­
teroftheareasconcerned .
2.2.2.Inthiscontext,theCommitteedeploresthe
factthataninitialactionprogramme—adoptedbythe
CouncilinprincipleinMay1989—hasonlyjustbeen
finalized.Thethreebasicobjectivesoftheactionpro­
grammeweretheprotectionofforests,theenhancement
oftheirvalueandtheirutilization .Moreover,the
measuresaresetoutunderdifferentpolicies,thereby
detractingfromtheunifiedapproachembodiedinthe
programme .
2.2.3.EClegislationinthisfieldhassofartakenthe
formonlyofmeasurestoprotectforests.Thevalueof
thesemeasuresmustnot,however,beunderestimated ,
bearinginmindthat(a)thereisnoindicationinthe
TreatyestablishingtheEuropeanCommunityorin
lateramendmentstoitthatforestsareregardedasone
ofEurope'sassets,(b)verylittlespaceisdevotedto
forestryinthecommonagriculturalpolicy(CAP)and
(c)theforestrysectorisregardedasmarginalandhas
beensystematically undervalued .
2.3.TheCommitteedrawsattentioninthisrespect
totheUNConferenceonEnvironmentandDevelop­2.5.WhilstwelcomingthefactthattheStanding
ForestryCommitteehasbeenestablished—ameasure
calledforbytheCommitteeinitsearlierOpinion—the
Committeedrawsattentiontotheneedforoptimum
coordination betweenthevariousECmeasuresand
instruments,therebyavoidingduplicationandsuperim­
position.TheCommitteethereforerecommendsthat
theEuropeanEnvironment Agency(EEA)should
eventuallyassumetheroleofcoordinatingthevarious
aspectsofpollutionmonitoring,includingmonitoring
inrespectofforests,andthat,inthemeantime,the
databanksbecloselycoordinatedwiththeCorinenet­
work.
2.5.1.Theresultsofthenewmonitoringand,in
particular,theexaminationoftherelationsbetween
pollutantsandforestecosystemsmust,intheCom­
mittee'sview,continuetobeincorporatedintheEC
environmental researchanddevelopment(R&D)pro­
gramme(COSTproject612)inordertoenableany
possiblesynergytobeexploited.
3.SpecificcommentsontheproposedECmeasuresto
protectforestsagainstatmosphericpollution
3.1.TheCommitteeexpressesitsappreciationof
thereportsonthehealthofforests,drawnupbythe
Commissiononthebasisofdatarecordedbytheobser­
vationplotswhichhavesofarbeenestablished .These
reportsarethefirstresultoftheECmeasuresinthis
field. (l)OJNoC139,5.6.1989,p.14.

27.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC106/3
4.1.2.Ananalysisofthestatisticaldatainrespectof
forestfiresrevealsarisingtrendinthenumberofsuch
fires,but,atthesametime,areductionintheaverage
sizeofthedevastatedareas,therebypointingtoan
improvementinfire-fightingtechniques,butnotinthe
preventiontechniqueswhichshouldmakeitpossibleto
identifyandthereforereducethecausesoffires.
4.2.TheCommitteeendorsestheCommission'spro­
posalthatCommunityeffortsbeconcentratedonhigh­
riskzones.TheCommitteedoes,however,underline
theneedtotacklethecausesofforestfires.Themain
causesarearsonandnegligence—spontaneouscombus­
tiononlyoccursinaverysmallnumberofcases.3.2.TheCommitteedoes,however,notethatthe
correlationbetweenthestateofhealthofforestsand
levelsofatmosphericpollution(*)hasbynomeansbeen
clearlyexplained.TheCommitteedrawsattentionto
thefundamentalneedforcoordinatedresearch,based
onuniformcriteria,inthisfield.
3.2.1.Themoreintensivemonitoringproposedby
theCommissionmustthereforegohandinhandwith
scientificprocessingofthedata,includingcorrelation
withthevarioustypesofpollution,standardization of
methodsofmeasurementandon-goingcontactswith
otherresearchcentresoutsidetheEC.
3.2.2.Simplylistingthedamagewhichhasoccurred
isnotenough—thereisaneedtoidentifythecauses
andfindremedies.Specificactioncan,however,be
takenforthwithonthebasisofcurrentscientificknow­
ledgeconcerningpollutants .
3.2.3.Thereisalsoaclearneedtostudythebiotic
factorsinvolvedinthedamagetoforestsinconnection
withpollutantfactors.Damagetothehealthoftreesis
infactbroughtaboutbyacomplexinteractionof
factors,thereciprocaleffectsofwhichneedtobeana­
lyzed.
3.2.4.Workonbioticfactorsshould,intheCom­
mittee'sview,beeligibleforECaid.4.2.1.Thewaytopreventarsonistointroducemore
effectivesurveillanceandtodiscourageanyformof
changeintheauthorizeduseofareasofforestdestroyed
byfire.
4.2.2.Asregardsfirescausedbynegligence,apart
frompreventivemeasures,suchasclearingscrubveg­
etation,inparticularfromareasadjoiningtrunk-roads ,
campaignstoinformandeducatethepublicarealsoof
fundamentalimportance .Theaimistoheightenpublic
awarenessofthevalueofforestsandtoprovidemore
specificfirepreventiontraining.
3.3.TheCommitteealsotruststhatpreferencewill
begivenintheselectionofpilotprojectstothose
directedtowardsprevention,thestandardization of
methodsofcollectingdataandthetrainingofthestaff
concerned .Undertheheadingofpreventionshouldbe
includedresearchintosuitabletypesoftreebestadapted
toresistairpollution.4.3.Themeasurestobefinancedinfuturemustform
partofanintegratedandconsistentforest-protection
strategy.Suchmeasuresmustbestrengthenedinthe
areasofhighestrisk—withprioritybeinggiventopre­
ventivemeasures,innovativemeasuresandon-the-spot
surveillance—soastoincreasetheireffectiveness .
4.SpecificcommentsontheproposedECmeasuresto
protectforestsagainstfire4.3.1.Reafforestation measuresmustalsoincorpor­
ateprecisefire-prevention safeguards .Researchshould
becarriedoutinthiscontexttoidentifytreespecies
whichcatchfirelessreadilyandwhichcouldcontribute
totheestablishmentoffire-breaks .Oneexamplewhich
canbequotedistheroleplayedbycorkplantationsin
preventingdesertification ,whichhasbeenthesubject
ofarecentstudybytheJointResearchCentre(JRC)
atIspra.4.1.Theintegrated,preventiveapproachwhichhas
tobeadoptedifsignificantprogressistobemadein
thefire-prevention campaigncanonlybeachievedif
thereisacoherentECforestrypolicy.
4.1.1.Theexodusfromthelandandtheabandon­
mentofholdingsclearlycreatefavourableconditions
forthespreadofscrubvegetationandthedeterioration
oftheinfrastructurewhichservestopreventfires.These
factorsalsoleadtoareductionintheon-the-spot
surveillancenecessaryfortherapidreportingoffires
andrapidactiontotacklethem.4.4.Afurtherstepwhichwouldbeparticularlyuse­
fulinthecampaignagainstforestfireswouldbethe
expansionofcooperationbetweenStates,especiallyin
thecaseofneighbouringregions,withaviewtorapidly
providingthemwiththewherewithaltotackleforest
firesspeedilyandeffectively.
4.5.Closercoordination oftheactiontakenisto
beachievedthroughtheinterventionoftheStanding
ForestryCommittee .TheCommitteehopesthatthis (i)OJNoC269,14.10.1991.

NoC106/4 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 27.4.92
closercoordinationwillhelp(a)toensurethatoptimalStatesinthisfieldand(b)toincreasetheeffectiveness
useismadeoftheexperiencecontributedbyMemberofthesecontributions .
DoneatBrussels,25March1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
Opinionon:
—theproposalforaCouncilDirectiveoninfantformulaeandfollow-onformulaeintended
forexporttothirdcountries,and
—theproposalforaCouncilResolutiononthemarketingpracticesforbreast-milksubsti­
tutesindevelopingcountriesbyCommunity-based manufacturers
(92/C106/02
On6January1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposals.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthematter,adopteditsOpinionon
3March1992.TheRapporteurwasMrHilkens.
Atits295thPlenarySession(meetingof25March1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.4.TheCommitteeendorsestheCommissionpro­
posal,subjecttothefollowingcomments.
2.Generalcomments1.Introduction
1.1.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission
initiative,whichisintendedtoextendtheexistingrules
oncompleteinfantformulaeandfollow-upinfantfor­
mulaetotheexportoftheseproductstothirdcountries.
1.2.TheCommissionproposalamountstoanexten­
sionoftheprovisionsofDirective91/321/EEConinfant
formulaeandfollow-upformulaetocovertheexport
oftheseproductstothirdcountries.Thepreambleof
thatDirectivealreadymentionsthearrangementsnow
proposed.Thisapproachalsoaccordswiththepolicies
oftheWorldHealthOrganization .
1.3.IntheCommissionproposalArticlesl(2)(c)and
(d)and3to7inclusiveofDirective91/321/EECare
declaredtobeapplicabletoexportproductsinthis
sector.2.1.TheCommitteetakestheviewthattherulesin
Article2ofDirective91/321/EECmustalsobeincluded
inthepresentproposal,whichrelatestoexport.Infact,
thisArticleforbidsthemarketingofproductsinthe
infantformulaesectorwhichdonotcorrespondtothe
relevantdefinitions .Itstatesthat'Noproductother
thaninfantformulamaybemarketedorotherwise
representedassuitableforsatisfyingbyitselfthe
nutritionalrequirementsofnormalhealthyinfantsdur­
ingthefirstfourtosixmonthsoflife.'