WRITTEN QUESTION E-1153/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 April 2003)

Subject: The Forest Focus Programme and measures to prevent forest fires

The regulation on the Forest Focus Programme on the monitoring of forests has already been adopted by the Council. The European Parliament's report on this regulation which was discussed at its February part-session stressed the need to continue the measures to prevent forest fires contained in Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92(1) in the new regulation. These measures which have always been underfunded have helped combat the scourge of forest fires in various high-risk countries and regions, such as Portugal. It should be borne in mind that while pollution is more of a problem in northern Europe, forest fires are a scourge of southern Europe.

It should also be remembered that the preventive measures included in Regulation (EEC) 2158/1992 contain actions not covered by Regulation (EC) 1257/1999(2) on support for rural development which has other objectives as regards forests and forestry. Speaking in plenary sitting, I recalled that a failure to include these preventive measures in the regulation under review would mean a reduction in appropriations for the prevention of fires and jeopardise a set of ongoing projects which have already demonstrated the added value of Community intervention. Thus the present regulation receives insufficient funding, indeed less than existing measures under Regulation (EEC) No 2158/1992, notably the forest fire prevention measures in respect of the public awareness campaigns and training. Funding through rural development has been compromised, given that the funds for financing it will not be transferred. The Community's response to the scourge of forest fires has thus been compromised, which represents a setback for the effective protection of forests.

In this context, what adjustments does the Commission intend to make to the present regulation to ensure that existing measures contained in the previous Regulation (EEC) No 2158/1992 are continued, in particular until the end of the current financial perspective, so that it contributes to the effective protection of forests? Bearing in mind the scale of the problem of forest fires and the dangers they pose for the EU's forests, does the Commission not agree that funding is insufficient?

(1) OJ L 217, 31.7.1992, p. 3.

(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 80.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 2003)

The Commission has recognised that forests can be severely damaged by the effects of atmospheric pollution and by forest fires, which mainly affect the forests of Southern Europe. The Community has provided assistance to the Member States for monitoring and protecting forests against these causes through Council Regulations (EEC) No 3528/86 of 17 November 1986 on the protection of the Community's forests against atmospheric pollution(1) and (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of the Community's forests against fire, which both expired on 31 December 2002. Apart from these two Regulations, assistance for forest fire prevention actions was available through the implementation of Rural Development provisions under Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations, and the majority of Southern Member States and their regions have integrated these measures in their Rural Development Plans for the period 2000-2006.

In 2002 the Commission presented Forest Focus, a Regulation concerning the monitoring of forest and environmental interactions in the Community(2). The purpose of the proposal is the establishment of a new Community scheme on monitoring of forests and environmental interactions to protect the Community's forests. The scheme will be built on the achievements of the two above-mentioned Council Regulations for monitoring the impacts of atmospheric pollution and of fires on forest ecosystems and it will incorporate new elements in order to assess forest ecosystems conditions in a broader context. The proposal foresees that the monitoring activities to be carried out by the Member States, in particular the collection of data, studies, experiments and demonstration projects will be implemented under multi-annual national programmes. The proposal provides a multi-annual framework covering initially a six-year period from 2003 to 2008.

The proposal did not include forest fire prevention measures, as these have been incorporated for the majority of the regions of the Southern Member States in their Rural Development Plans. The proposal included actions addressing forest fires, namely actions related to the monitoring of forest fires and their impact on forests, studies to examine the effects of fires on the forest ecosystem and integrated and demonstration projects that could assist in better preventing forest fires and protecting the ecosystem. A part of the budget has been earmarked for these actions, which would be applicable to Southern Member States (EUR 1,5 to EUR 1,7 million per year). Actions of this type are not eligible under the Rural Development Regulation and thus there is no risk for the Community to co-finance an action by two different financial instruments. The Community will thus continue its financial support to national forest protection policies through the Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 and Forest Focus.

On 4 March 2003 the Council reached a political agreement on a common position for the Forest Focus. The common position will be sent to the Parliament for a second reading in accordance with the co-decision procedure.

(1) OJ L 326, 21.11.1986.

(2) OJ C 20 E, 28.1.2003.