[pic] | COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES |

Brussels, 12.10.2007

COM(2007) 597 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL

concerning the European Community's participation in the fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Warsaw, 5 – 7 November 2007)

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL

concerning the European Community's participation in the fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (Warsaw, 5 – 7 November 2007)

The next Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe will take place in Warsaw on 5, 6 and 7 November 2007. More than 40 European States, among them all EU Member States, will attend the Conference, which is organised jointly by Poland and Norway.

Since 1990, four Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe took place. The first Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, held in December 1990 in Strasbourg, was devoted essentially to forest monitoring and protection, and forest research issues.

The second Ministerial Conference, held in June 1993 in Helsinki, mainly addressed the sustainable management of forests, conservation of biological diversity in forests, the forest-climate relationship and forests in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. At the third Ministerial Conference, held in June 1998 in Lisbon, the main focus was on the socio-economic aspects of Europe’s forestry sector, criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of forests and the conservation of biological and landscape diversity of forests.

Finally, the fourth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, held in April 2003 in Vienna, was principally concerned with integrating sustainable forest management into the broader context of sustainable development.

For these four Conferences the Commission was empowered by the Council to participate on behalf of the European Community and to sign the final acts alongside the Member States.

As it was the case for the three past conferences, the fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe is a step towards the implementation in Europe’s forests of the various commitments taken at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention to Combat Desertification and the Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as the commitments taken more recently at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg in 2002.

The Warsaw Conference will address the following topics:

- forests, wood and energy;

- forests and water.

It is planned to submit to the Ministers a general declaration and two resolutions relating respectively to the above-mentioned topics. Although the proposed declaration and resolutions will not have the status of a convention, the fairly detailed texts concerned may nevertheless have some impact on the measures to be taken by the Conference participants.

In addition, it is also planned to submit to the Ministers two statements, to be adopted by consensus, concerning the organisation of a Pan-European Forest Week in 2008 and on the issue of forest fires.

The relevant Commission services were actively involved in the preparatory phase of this Conference for elaborating its non-legally binding declaration and resolutions.

The Community’s participation as such in the Conference is highly desirable, indeed necessary, in view of the following:

- the Conference relates to the implementation at European level of the international commitments taken, not only by the Member States but also by the European Community;

- as a signatory to the Strasbourg, Helsinki, Lisbon and Vienna resolutions, the European Community is directly involved in their follow-up and implementation;

- with the Strasbourg, Helsinki, Lisbon, Vienna resolutions and those contemplated for Warsaw, the countries of Europe will have set themselves fairly detailed guidelines on forest policy laying down broad objectives and strengthening their co-ordination and co-operation in this field. This is consistent with the Council Resolution of 15 December 1998 on a Forestry Strategy for the European Union[1]. The latter Resolution identifies as a substantial element of the EU Forestry Strategy the need to improve co-ordination and co-operation in all policy areas with relevance to the forest sector between the Commission and the Member States as well as between the Member States;

- the Conference topics relate to areas partly covered by Community forestry measures, notably those related to the Rural Development Regulation[2], the Sixth Environment Action Programme[3], the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development[4] and the EU Forest Action Plan[5]. The Conference subject matters also fit in with the Commission's proposals that led to an "Energy Policy for Europe" as endorsed by the European Council[6].

As a consequence, the Commission calls on the Council to decide as follows:

1. The Commission will participate, on behalf of the European Community and alongside the Member States, in the fifth Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe to be held in Warsaw on 5, 6, 7 November 2007.

2. The Commission will sign the appended acts stemming from the Conference. The Commission’s signature shall not imply any commitment for joint measures falling outside the scope of Community competence.

ACTS OF THE FIFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE PROTECTION OF FORESTS IN EUROPE

- Warsaw Declaration;

- Warsaw Resolution 1: Forests, Wood and Energy;

- Warsaw Resolution 2: Forests and Water.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS:

- Ministerial Statement on the Pan-European Forest Week 2008;

- Ministerial Statement on forest fires.

[1] OJ C 56, 26.2.1999, p. 1.

[2] Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (OJ L 277, 21.10.2005, p. 1).

[3] Decision 1600/2002/EC (OJ L 242, 10.9.2002, p. 1).

[4] Decision 1982/2006/EC (OJ L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 1).

[5] COM(2006) 302 final.

[6] Brussels European Council, 8-9.3.2007.