Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a forestry strategy for the European Union
Date: 1998-11-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU action, forest conservation, forestry policy, silviculture

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.11.1998 
COM(1998) 649 final 

COMMUNICATION  FROM THE COMMISSION 

TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT, 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

ON 

A  FORESTRY STRATEGY FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION 

Introduction 

Contents 

I.  CERTAIN FORESTRY CHALLENGES FACING THE EU 
1. 

General  remarks 
- Forest  resources 
-  Structure and competitiveness of EU Forest-based  industries 
- European forest  diversity 
- Threats to  forests 
Sustainably  managed  forests  provide vital services to nature  and  society 
Key  issues 

2. 
3. 

H. 

1. 
2. 
3. 

HI. 
A. 
B. 
1. 

2. 

3. 
4. 

A COMMON  STRATEGIC APPROACH FOR THE  COMMUNITY 
AND THE MEMBER  STATES 
Common  objective  and  guiding principles  of the Strategy 
What  role for the European  Union? 
The role of the Member  States 

THE  COMMUNITY  ACTION  FRAME 
INTRODUCTION 
EXISTING ACTIONS AND THEIR  DEVELOPMENT 
Existing Regulations  relating to CAP structural  and  accompanying 
measures 
The Community  Scheme for the Protection  of Forests  against 
Atmospheric  Pollution 
Forest  fires 
Establishing  a European  Forestry Information  and  Communication 
System  (Efics) 
The Internal Market  and  EU  trade 
The EU forest-based  industries 
Community  support  for forestry  research 
Development  Cooperation 
International  cooperation  at pan-European  and  global level 
Coordination 

5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
C.  FORESTRY MEASURES UNDER AGENDA 2000 
1. 

Support  for  the Member  States in their efforts  to achieve  sustainable 
forest  management 
Pre-accession  measures 
SPECIFIC  ITEMS RELATING TO  FORESTRY 
Conservation  of forest  biodiversity 
Wood  as a source of energy 
Climate  change 
Forest  certification 
CONCLUSION 

2. 
D. 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
E. 

Introduction 

On  the  basis  of  the  second  paragraph  of  Article  138b  of  the  EC  Treaty,  on 
31 January  1997  the  European  Parliament  approved  a  resolution1  on  the  European 
Union's  forestry  strategy  calling  on  the  Commission  to  put  forward  "a  legislative 
in  accordance  with  a  number  of 
proposal  on  European  forestry  strategy" 
considerations and recommendations. 

This communication has two aims: 

— to present a coherent outline for  a forestry  strategy for the European Union; 
— to  respond  to  the  European  Parliament's  request  while  taking  account  of  the 
opinions handed down by the Economic and  Social Committee2 and the  Committee 
of the Regions3; 

This strategy should be considered within the scope of the principles and  commitments 
adopted  at  international  level  and  in  particular  within  the  framework  of  the  UN 
Conference  on  Environment  and  Development4  (e.g.  the  Kyoto  Protocol  on  Climate 
Change) and the pan-European Conferences on the Protection of Forests5. 
The  EU  forestry  strategy  is  based  on  the  recognition  of  the  diversity  of  Europe's 
forests,  their  multifunctional  role  and  the  need  for  ecological,  economic  and  social 
sustainability6. 

I.  Certain forestry challenges facing the European Union 

1. General  remarks 

Forest  resources 

Forests  are  estimated  to  cover  around  3 500  million  hectares  (ha)  or  27%  of  the 
world's  total  land  area.  More  than  60%  of  the  world's  forests  are  located  in  seven 
countries,  namely  Russia,  Brazil,  Canada,  the  US,  China,  Indonesia  and  the  Congo 
(formerly Zaire). 

The European  continent  has nearly  215  million  ha  of forests  and  other  wooded  land, 
accounting  in  total  for  nearly  30%  of  the  continent's  land  area.  The  forest  area'is 

A4-0414/96  (OJ C 55, 24.2.1997, p. 22) 
Opinion of the Economic and  Social Committee of 24 April  1997 on "The  situation and  problems 
of  forestry  in  the  European  Union  and  potential  for  developing  forestry  policies"  (OJ  C  206, 
7.7.1997, p.  128) 
CoR  268/97  final  -  Opinion  of  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  of  19  November  1997  on 
"Management,  use and protection of forests in the EU" (OJ No C 64, 27.2.1998, p. 25) 
UNCED, Rio de Janeiro  1992. 
Strasbourg (1990), Helsinki (1993) and Lisbon (1998). 
For  Europe,,the  concept  of  sustainable  forest  management  was  defined  in  1993  at  the  pan-
european  Ministerial  Conference  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in  Europe  as  follows:  "the 
stewardship  and  use  of forests  and forest  lands  in  a  way,  and  at  a  rate,  that  maintains  their 
biodiversity,  productivity,  regeneration  capacity,  vitality  and  their potential  to fulfil,  now and  in 
the future,  relevant  ecological,  economic  and  social  functions,  at  local,  national  and  global 
levels,  and that does not cause damage to other  ecosystems". 

currently  stable  or  even  increasing  and  is characterised  by  a huge variety  of  climatic, 
geographic, ecological as well as socio-economic conditions. 
The EU has a total forest  area of  130 million ha,  accounting for  about  36% of its total 
land  mass.  Some  87 million  ha  are  considered  exploitable  forests  (managed  for  wood 
production and non-wood goods and services). 
In  comparison  with the vast  boreal  and  tropical  forests  of other  regions  of the  world, 
the EU's  forest  resources  may  seem unimportant  at  first  glance.  However,  following 
the accession  of Austria, Finland  and  Sweden, the EU has become the world's  second 
largest  paper  and  sawnwood  producer,  its  foremost  importer  of  forest  products  and 
third largest exporter of forest  products. 

Structure and competitiveness  of EU Forest-based  industries 

•  The  forest-based  industries  consist  of  woodworking  industries,  that  is  inter  alia 
sawmilling,  wood-based  panels,  wooden  building  components  and  wooden 
packaging;  pulp,  paper  and  board  production  and  their  converting;  as  well  as, 
further  down-stream,  printing and publishing. 

•  This  industry  is  characterised  by  global,  regional  and  local  companies,  including 
some  big,  globally  present  multi-nationals  as  well  as  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
small- and medium-sized  enterprises, mostly privately owned. 

•  Altogether,  the  EU  forest-based  industries'  production  value  amounts  to  close  to 
300  billion  ECU,  which  represents  10  %  of  the  total  for  all  manufacturing. 
According  to  official  statistics  these  industries  directly  employ  some  2.2  million 
people, in all parts of the Union. 

•  The EU is the biggest trader  and  second biggest  consumer  of forest  products in the 
world, with a positive trade balance overall. However, within this context, the EU is 
a  net  importer  of  raw  materials,  mainly roundwood,  mostly  from  the  CEECs  and 
CIS, and woodpulps from N. and  S. America and  other regions having high growth 
rates  and  low  costs  in  timber  growing.  Within  certain  sectors  where  there  is  a 
particularly  high  level  of  domestic  supply  and  for  some,, the  EU  is  a  prominent 
exporter,  especially for the more highly value-added products. 

•  The EU industry  achieves  advantage by using both fresh  raw material  (virgin fibre) 

and recovered wood  and paper. 

•  The  EU  forest-based  industries  depend  in  certain  areas  on  a  fragmented  forest 
resource  which,  with  other  disadvantages,  are  tending  to  make  EU  wood  less 
competitive than that from  elsewhere. 

•  Thus, to be competitive  in the future,  the EU forest-based  industries must  assure a 
secure and competitive raw material  supply and  strive for  continuous  specialisation, 
quality and innovation,  supported by R&D. 

Thus, it can be seen that the forestry  sector is an enormously important  one for the EU 
in economic terms. 

European forest  diversity 

There is a wide variety of forest  types as defined  in terms of their bio-climatic and soil 
conditions.  Their  ecological  characteristics  can  be  divided  into  numerous  vegetation 

zones,  ranging  from  the  sub-Mediterranean  zone  to  the  Arctic  belt  and  from  coastal 
plains to the Alpine zone. 
Forestland  in  the  EU  is  65% privately  owned.  As there  are  about  12  million  private 
forest  owners  in the  EU,  privately  owned  forests  tend  predominantly  therefore  to  be 
highly  fragmented  into  small  plots  and  most  holdings  are  smaller  than  five  hectares. 
Ownership,  however,  varies widely within the Community.  In Greece  and Ireland,  the 
State owns about two thirds of forestland,  while in Belgium,  Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, 
France and Germany, local communities play an important role as forest  owners. 

Threats to forests 

Apart  from  deforestation  as  a  result  of  urban  and  industrial  uses  and  the  creation  of 
large-scale  infrastructures,  forests  are  also  exposed  to  serious  threats  from  air 
pollution, fires, climatic change,  and  attacks from  parasites  and  diseases.  Such  threats 
can seriously upset and even destroy forest  ecosystems. Between 350 000 and  500 000 
ha  of  forests  are  destroyed  by fire in the  EU  every  year.  Air  pollution,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  reducing  tree  vitality  and  it  is  estimated  that  about  one  third  of  Europe's 
forests  are visibly affected  by air pollution. 

2. Sustainablv managed forests  provide vital services to nature and society. 

Traditionally,  the  foremost  function  of  forests  is  considered  to  be  their  use  as  a 
regenerative  source of timber  and other products,  such as resin,  cork,  mushrooms  and 
berries  : this is known  as the raw-material  function  of forests.  Besides  their  economic 
role,  forests  offer  many  other  benefits  which  could  be  regarded  as  useful  to  society. 
Increasing leisure time, for  instance, has made the recreational use of forests  important 
socially7.  Environmental  aspects  associated  with  forests'  protective  functions,  like 
biodiversity,  local  and  regional  climates,  water  and  soil  protection,  are  highly  valued. 
In  mountain  areas,  avalanche  control  and  protection  against  erosion8  are  additional 
functions.  Over the last  decade, the role of forests  in the fixation of carbon  oxides  has 
grown  in  importance9.  Because  forests  generally  perform  several  of  these  functions, 
their value is best illustrated by their multifunctionality.  That means for  example that in 
a  forest  essentially  providing  soil  protection  but  which  is  also  important  for 
biodiversity  and  recreation,  selective timber  harvesting  can be  performed  without  any 
loss of the forest's  functions. 

3. Key  issues 

The major  concerns in relation to forestry are: 

— the  promotion  of the  development  of the  forestry  sector  as  a  contribution  to  rural 
development  and in particular to the creation and preservation of jobs in rural areas, 
the  protection  of  our  natural  environment  and  our  forest  heritage  (e.g.  soil 
protection,  erosion  control,  water  regulation,  improvement  of  air  quality,  carbon 

- 

In the Nordic Countries, for example, it is estimated that at least 400 million visits a year are made 
to forests. 
In Mediterranean forests catchments soil erosion varies from 2-3 tons/ha/year while on bare soils it 
goes up to 20 to 30 t/ha/year. 
The Dobris report points out that European Forests contain about 2.8  Gt of carbon in trees and 
litter, plus 3-4 Gt of C in forest  soil. 2.8 Gt of carbon is the amount of carbon emitted from  fossil 
fuels in the EU about 4 years. 

sequestration,  prevention  of  climate  change,  protection  of  natural  habitats  and 
biodiversity) and the restoration of damaged  forests, 
the maintenance of the social and recreational functions of forests, 
the improvement  of ecological,  economic  and  social  sustainable forest  management 
within  the  framework  of  the  internal  market,  and  in  line  with  the  Union's 
international obligations, including WTO compatible trade rules, 
support  for  international  and  pan-European  cooperation  to  protect  forests  at 
European  level and globally (see below), in particular to  avoid  forest  destruction  in 
other  parts  of  the  world  which  could  have  long-term  implications  for  the 
sustainability of forests  and the environment of the world, 
the  fulfilment  of  the  targets  of  the  5th Environmental  Action  Programme  and  the 
protection of forests  against deforestation,  forest fires and atmospheric pollution. 
promoting the role of forests  as carbon trapping mechanisms and wood  products as 
carbon sinks, especially in the post-Kyoto climate change debate, 
promoting environmental virtues of wood and other forest  products, 
assuring the competitiveness of the EU forest-based  industries. 

The United Nations Conference on Environment  and Development  (UNCED) and its follow-up 
The  UN  Conference  on  Environment  and  Development  held  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  1992  has  given 
forests  an  increasingly  important  role  in  the  context  of  sustainable  development  and  environmental 
conservation.  The  concept  of  sustainable  forest  management  has  been  recognised  as  a  fundamental 
guiding  principle  by  all  participating  countries.  The  following  commitments  are  of  particular 
importance: 
• 

the  non-legally  binding  authoritative  statement  of  principles  for  a  global  consensus  on  the 
management,  conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests; 
•  Chapter  11 of Agenda 21 (combating deforestation)  with four main principles: 

- 
sustaining the multiple roles and functions  of all types of forests, forestlands  and woodlands; 
-  enhancing  the  protection,  sustainable  management  and  conservation  of  all  forests,  and  the 
greening  of degraded  areas, through forest  rehabilitation,  afforestation,  reforestation  and  other 
means of rehabilitation; 

-  promoting  efficient  utilisation  and  assessment  to  recover  the  full  valuation  of  the  goods  and 

services provided by forests, forestlands  and woodlands; 

-  establishing  and/or  strengthening  capacities  for  the  planning,  assessment  and  systematic 
observation  of  forests  and  related  programmes,  projects  and  activities,  including  commercial 
trade and processes; 

• 

the Conventions on Biological Diversity on Desertification  and on Climate Change as well as their 
Protocols and Work Programmes  (e.g. the Kyoto Protocol). 

This  global process on  sustainable  development  needs to be taken  into account  when  devising  an  EU 
forestry  strategy, in particular by: 
- 
-  contributing  to  overall  sustainable  development  in  forest  development  cooperation  through  the 

implementing forest-related  commitments resulting from this process at European level; 

implementation of the IPF (International Panel on Forests) proposals; 

-  continuing  the  policy  dialogue  on  forests  at  international  level  with  the  aim  of  negotiating  a 

legally binding instrument on all types of forests 

; 

The pan-European process on Protection of Forests 
The Ministerial  Conferences  on the Protection  of Forests in Europe constitute a major  initiative in the 
process  of cooperation  amongst  European  countries  (38 European  countries  as well  as the  European 
Community)  to  contribute  to  the  protection  and  sustainable  management  of  European  forests.  They 
represent  a joint  response  and  a  political  commitment  by the  countries  of Europe  to  the  sustainable 
management  and  conservation  of forest  resources,  as suggested  in  Agenda  21 and  in  the  non-legally 
binding "Forest Principles" adopted at UNCED, taking into account the specific  conditions and  needs 
of Europe' s forests. 
The resolutions adopted by the countries of Europe and the European Union at the conferences  held  in 
Strasbourg (1990), Helsinki (1993) and Lisbon (1998) are: 
S1:  European network of permanent  sample plots for the monitoring of forest  ecosystems 
S2:  Conservation of forest  genetic resources 
S3:  Decentralised European data bank on forest fires 
S4:  Adapting the management of mountainous forests to new environmental  conditions 
S5:  Expansion of the EUROSILVA Network of research on tree physiology 
S6:  European network for research into forest  ecosystems 
HI:  General guidelines for the sustainable management of forests  in Europe 
H2:  General guidelines for the conservation of the biodiversity of European  forests 
H3:  Forestry cooperation with countries with economies in transition 
H4:  Strategies for a process of long-term adaptation of forests in Europe to climate change 
LI:  People,  Forests  and  Forestry:  enhancement  of  the  socio-economic  aspects  of  sustainable  forest 

management 

L2:  Pan-European  criteria,  indicators  and  operational  level  guidelines  for  sustainable  forest 

management 

The resolutions cover the main points for the protection, conservation  and sustainable development  of 
Europe's  forests  and  lay  down  guidelines  for  achieving  those  three  objectives,  including  the 
implementation  of  objectives  stemming  from 
the  Convention  on  Biological  Diversity.  The 
comprehensive  nature  of  the  resolutions  is  a  major  reason  why  the  European  Parliament  has 
emphasised the importance of the pan-European process in relation to the EU forestry  strategy. 

II. A common strategic approach for the Community  and the Member States 

1. Common objective and guiding principles of the Strategy 

The  overall  objective  of the  EU  forestry  strategy  should  be to  strengthen  sustainable 
forest  development  and  management  as  stated  in the  "Forest  Principles"  adopted  by 
the United Nations Conference  on Environment and Development and as defined  in the 
resolution  adopted  at  the  pan-European  Ministerial  Conferences  on  Protection  of 
Forests  (mentioned  before).  This  approach  should  be  defined  in  and  implemented 
through  national  or  subnational  forest  programmes  or  equivalent  instruments  applied 
by  the  Member  States  and,  in  accordance  with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  through 
action  taken by the European  Community where there is an  added  value to  be gained 
therefrom. 
A forestry  strategy for the Union should comply with the following  guiding principles: 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

it should further  the objectives of the Community policies; 
it  should  contribute  to  the  implementation  of  international  commitments  entered 
into by the Member  States and the Union; 
it  should  entail  a  flexible  approach,  based  in  particular  on  the  principle  of 
subsidiarity; 
it  should  operate in accordance with the principles  of free  movement  of goods  and 
free  competition,  as well as avoid any distortion of competition; 
it should enhance the competitiveness of the EU's forestry  sector, including  forestry 
and forest-based  industries, 

it  should  contribute  to  enhance  the  potential  for  wealth  generation  and  rural  and 
industrial  employment  within  a  sustainable  society,  particularly  in many rural  areas 
having few economic alternatives, 
it  should  further  the  principle  of  integration  of  sustainable  development  and 
environment protection in forest-related  policies. 

2. What role for the European  Union? 

The  Treaties  on  European  Union  make  no  provision  for  a  comprehensive  common 
forestry  policy.  The management,  conservation  and  sustainable development  of  forests 
are nevertheless vital concerns of existing common policies like the CAP and the  rural 
development,  environment,  trade,  internal  market,  research,  industry,  development 
cooperation and energy policies. 

The bases for action under existing responsibilities in accordance with the terms of the 
Treaty are as follows: 

•  with  their  many  functions,  forests  are  essential  to  rural  areas  and  constitute  a 
major  component  of  an integrated  rural  development  policy,  particularly  because 
of  their  contribution  to  income  and  employment  and  their  ecological  and  social 
value; 

• 

• 

forests  and  their  diversity  are  an  important  part  of  the  European  natural 
environment  and  their  protection  and  conservation  falls  within  the  scope  of  a 
number  of  Community  policies  and  is  the  subject  in  particular  of  specific 
environmental  issues  such  as the EU  Biodiversity  Strategy,  Natura  2000  and  the 
implementation of the Climate Change Convention; 

for  forest  products,  and in particular wood  (as well  as cork  and  resins), the  rules 
of the  Internal Market  apply,  including the  normal EU  competition  rules  on  state 
aids, mergers and cartels. 

A number of important  actions within existing Community policies have a considerable 
impact  on  forests.  On  the  other  hand,  direct  and  indirect  linkages  exist  between 
Community and national forestry  policies. The Community therefore  has a vital role to 
play in achieving the objectives laid down by the Member  States and the Community in 
the framework  of the strategy. 

3. The role of the Member States 

In  line  with  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  the  Member  States  are  responsible  for 
planning  and  implementing  national  forest  programmes  or  equivalent  instruments10. 
These programmes are essential instruments in the implementation of the principles laid 
down  at  the  UN  Conference  on  Environment  and  Development,  the  proposals  for 
action  of the Intergovernmental  Panel  on Forests  (IPF) the  resolutions  adopted  under 
the  pan-European  conferences  held  in  Strasbourg,  Helsinki  and  Lisbon  as  well  as 
Member  States'  initiatives  in the  context  of international  Conventions  (such  as  those 
on  Climate  Change,  Biological  Diversity,  Desertification,  and  Transboundary  Air 
Pollution) and the 5th Environmental Action Programme. 

PI.  The Community action  frame 

A. Introduction 

While  taking  into  account  the  existing  Community  actions  related  to  forestry,  the 
Community  legislative  action  frame  for  the EU forestry  strategy  is based  above  all  on 
two  Commission  proposals  in the  context  of  Agenda  2000:  the  proposal  for  a  new 
regulation  on  support  for  Rural  Development11  and  the  proposal  for  a  regulation  on 
Community  support  for  pre-accession  measures  for  agriculture  and  rural  development 
in  the  applicant  countries  of  Central  and  Eastern  Europe12.  This  proposed  legal 
framework  together with the existing actions constitute the Commission's  response  to 
the Parliamentary initiative. 

The  present  Communication  does  not  cover  the  evaluation  of  forest  measures 
conducted  in the  past.  An  appraisal  of the  forestry  measures  has  been  presented,  for 

National or sub-national forest programmes provide a global framework  within which to address 
forestry  issues in the context of sustainable forest  management. They are tools for  the planning, 
implementing and monitoring of forestry and forest-related  activities and provide an environment 
for  the concerted  and coordinated  implementation of programmes and activities by all interested 
parties on the basis of mutually agreed objectives and strategies. 

example, in the report  on the  application  of Regulation  (EEC) No  2080/92  relating  to 
forestry  measures  in  agriculture13,  the  recently  published  reports  on  the  health  of 
forests14,  and  the  report  on  the  Community  information  system  on  forest  fires15. 
Various  assessments  of  practical  programmes  managed  by  the  Structural  Funds  have 
also been undertaken. 

B. Existing actions and their development 

1. Existing Regulations  relating to CAP structural and accompanying  measures 

The continuation  of the  following  forestry  measures  is the  subject  of the  Commission 
proposal  on  rural  development  in the  context  of Agenda  2000  and  they  are  therefore 
mentioned under  Section C. 1: 
•  Forestry  measures  in  agriculture16  seek  to  promote  afforestation  as  an  alternative 
use  for  agricultural  land  and  the  development  of  forestry  activities  on  farms.  This 
horizontal measure is part of the CAP accompanying measures (EAGGF  Guarantee 
Section).  In  total,  between  1993  and  1997,  over  500.000  ha  of  agricultural  land 
were afforested,  and around 26.000 farmers have taken  advantage of the  scheme to 
improve their existing woodlands through new investments. 
While  stressing that  it was  premature to  draw  any firm conclusions  after  the  short 
implementation  period,  the  report  mentioned  before  on  the  application  of  the 
regulation  formulated  some positive  observations in relation to  the  fixed  objectives 
of the regulation,  as regards for  example : 
- 

the contribution of the scheme to rural development by encouraging  pluriactivity, 
a  dynamic  approach  to  land  use  and  proper  maintenance  of  the  countryside, 
although  afforestation  probably  had  only  a  small  impact  on  reducing  surplus 
agricultural  production; 
the generation  of a number  of positive  environmental  effects  such  as  preventing 
erosion  and  desertification,  encouraging  biodiversity  and  regulating 
the 
hydrological regime; 
the contribution  of the regulation to overall regional planning policy and  national 
forestry policy objectives. 

- 

- 

•  The  scheme  to  develop  and  optimally utilise woodlands  in rural  areas17  includes  a 
wide  range  of  forestry  measures  to  promote  the  economic,  ecological  and  social 
functions  of forests  as part  of the operational  programmes under  Objectives  1, 5(b) 
and 6. Furthermore, the regional development  measures in Objectives  1 and 2 areas 
may  include  actions  related  to  the  forest  sector.  The  Community  is  assisting  the 

COM (1998)158 final - Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) on support for Rural Development 
from  the European Agricultural  Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) (OJ C 170 , 4.6.1998, 
P-  67) 
COM (1998) 153 final (OJ C 150, 16.5.1998, p. 14) 
Report from  the  Commission to the  Council and the European Parliament  on the application of 
Regulation  (EEC)  No  2080/92  instituting  a  Community  aid  scheme  for  forestry  measures  in 
agriculture (COM(97)630 final, 28.11.1997). 
Forest Condition in Europe, 1998 Executive Report, ISSN 1020-587X 
Forest Fires in the South of the European Union 1989-1993, ISBN 92-827-5369-7 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 2080/92 (OJ L 215, 30.7.1992, p. 96) 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1610/89 (OJ L 165, 15.6.1989, p. 3) 

10 

regions  by  a  wide  range  of  measures  such  as  the  creation  and  improvement  of 
nurseries,  soil  and  water  conservation  measures,  the  extension  and  restoration  of 
woodlands  in  areas  at  risk  from  soil  erosion  and  flooding,  the  reconstitution  of 
woodland  damaged  by fires or  other  natural  causes,  silvicultural  and  infrastructural 
improvements  and  start-up  aid for forest  management  associations. Priority is given 
to  regional  programmes  in  areas  where  the  promotion  of  silviculture  may  help  in 
improving  the  economy  of the  area  concerned,  where  soil  and  water  conservation 
and  measures  to  combat  erosion  play  a  major  role,  or  where  the  social  and 
recreational function  of the woodland is particularly important. 

• 

The development  of the forestry  sector by improving the processing  and  marketing 
conditions  for  forestry  products18  provides  for  support  in  the  framework  of 
Objective  5(a)  for  forestry  operations  upstream  of  industrial  processing.  The 
operations  concerned  are  for  example  felling,  dismembering,  stripping,  cutting  up, 
storage,  protective  treatment  and  drying.  The financing of  investments  is  directed 
preferably 
the 
restructuring  and  rationalization  of which  may  contribute  to  the  improvement  and 
economic development  of the agricultural and rural environment. 

those  concerning  small  and  medium-sized  undertakings 

to 

2.  The Community  Scheme for the Protection of Forests aeainst  Atmospheric 

Pollution19 

Using  a  suitable  observation  network,  this  measure  establishes  a  uniform  periodic 
inventory  of  damage  caused  to  forests.  The  inventory  provides  information  on  the 
extent  and  development  of forest  condition deterioration  in the various regions  of the 
European  Union.  Furthermore,  an  intensive  monitoring  system  in  the  form  of  a 
European  network  of  permanent  observation  plots  for  monitoring  forest  ecosystems 
aims to  contribute  to  a clearer understanding  of the  impact  of  air  pollution  and  other 
factors  on forest  ecosystems thanks to the collection of accurate data on the extent and 
development  of  a  number  of  forest  pollutants,  together  with  detailed  information  on 
basic ecological parameters.  The European  Commission and UN/ECE publish a report 
annually  on  the  health  of  Europe's  forests.  The  1998  Executive  Report  on  Forest 
Condition  in  Europe  notices  a  steady  increase  in  defoliation  over  large  areas  of 
Europe,  which  is  influenced  mainly  by  air  pollution  and  longs  periods  of  drought, 
especially in southern Europe. 

This scheme should further  develop, on the basis of a scientific  review, the  framework 
for  a feasible  monitoring  system  which  is at the  sharp  edge  of  work  in this  area  and 
which  covers  the  range  of  potential  impacts  such  as  air  pollution,  climate  change, 
diseases,  pests  or  other  stress  factors  on  forest  ecosystems.  It  should  also  provide  a 
sound  database  for  decision-makers  and  for  research  to  improve  the  protection  of 
forest  ecosystems. 

In  1999  the  Commission  intends  to  organise  a workshop  bringing  together  scientific 
experts  and  other  interested  parties,  with  a view to  preparing  a  critical  review  of the 
current  state  of knowledge  and  experience in this field and  to  open  up  new  prospects 
for  amending  the  existing  legislation  in  the year  2001.  One  of  the  main  aims  of  the 
workshop will be to  streamline  future  activities  in the field of intensive  monitoring  to 

18  Council Regulation (EEC) No 867/90 (OJ L 91, 6.4.1990, p. 7) 
19  Council Regulation (EEC) No 3528/86 (OJ L 326, 21.11.1986, p. 2) 

11 

obtain  a  clearer  understanding  of  the  impact  of  air  pollution  and  other  stresses  on 
forests  and  forest  ecosystems  in  Europe  and  by  thus  also  contributing  to  the 
implementation of IPF proposals for action (No 50). 

Directive  96/62/EC  on  ambient  air  quality  assessment  and  management  provides  a 
framework  for  the measurement,  reporting  and  improvement  of  air  quality  in the EU. 
Local and regional action plans to comply with the limit values are required.  There are 
plans  for  a regular  assessment  of  air  quality,  including  air  in forests,  as  an  important 
instrument  for  local  authorities.  Forests  are  expressly  mentioned  in  Annex  II  to  the 
Directive as a factor to be taken into account when limit values and alert thresholds are 
set. Assessment  of data of the impact on forests  of air pollutants,  particularly ozone, is 
therefore  important  and  needs  to  be  coordinated  with  existing  activities,  especially 
under  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No 3528/86  and  Commission  Regulation  (EC) 
No  1091/94. 

3.  Forest fires20 

Forest  fires  constitute  a  major  factor  endangering  sustainable  development  in  nearly 
half  of  the  EU's  forests.  The  Union  is  currently  part-financing  forest-fire  prevention 
measures  within  the  framework  of  the  rural  development  policy  and  through  the 
specific Community action to protect forests against fires. 

This  action  underpins  the  efforts  of the  Member  States to  prevent  forest  fires,  while 
ensuring at the same time that forestry  measures with support from  other sources, such 
as  rural  development  in  areas  subject  to  fire  risk,  are  linked  with  protection  systems 
through the implementation of global forest-fire  protection plans. 

The  Cohesion  Fund  also  provides  assistance  for  the  rehabilitation  of  forest  areas 
destroyed  by fire with the  environmental  objective  of preventing  erosion  and  ensuring 
water regulation. 

The specific  action to protect forest  against fires will be continued  and  strengthened in 
view  of the positive impact  it has had  on the effectiveness  of protective  measures  and 
the importance  of providing for  a coherent  scheme to protect  existing forests  and  new 
plantations. 

Special  attention  will  be  paid  to  close  cooperation  with  the  experts  of  the  Standing 
Forestry  Committee  and  will rely  in particular  on the  Community  information  system 
on  forest  fires.  This  system  enables  fire-prevention  measures  to  be  assessed  more 
precisely  and  priorities  to  be  redefined,  where  required;  in  the  framework  of  the 
follow-up  to  the  pan-European  Conferences  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in  Europe 
and  of  the  implementation  of  the  IPF  proposals  for  action  (No  46)  the  system  also 
contributes  towards  the  development  of  international  cooperation,  both  at  pan-
European level and throughout the Mediterranean countries. 

20  Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 (OJ L 217, 31.7.1992, p. 3) 

12 

4.  Establishing a European Forestry Information  and Communication  System 

(Efics}21 

This measure which was last amended by Council regulation  1100/98 along the lines of 
the Parliament's resolution concentrates on achieving the following  objectives: 

— improving  the  quality  of,  and  encouraging  the  changes  required  in,  national  forest 
inventories  so  they  can  fulfil  information  needs  with  a  view  to  reporting  on 
sustainable  forest  management,  in  close  cooperation  with  the  members  of  the 
Informal  Intersecretariat  Working  Group  (representatives  of  the  Commission, 
Eurostat,  UN-ECE,  FAO,  OECD  and  ITTO22).  Special  emphasis  should  be  placed 
on the  provision  of objective,  comparable  data based  on pan-European  criteria  and 
indicators and on forest  ownership structure within the Union. 
In  addition,  efforts  will  be  made  to  investigate  the  practical  application  of  remote 
sensing  and  Geographical  Information  Systems (GIS)  techniques,  especially  in  the 
provision  of  spatial  data  as  a  source  of  information  complementing  more 
conventional  statistics,  in  order  to  obtain  standardised  information  on  forests  in 
Europe; 

— obtaining  information  and  achieving  better  communication  by  setting  up  an  EU 
database containing  all relevant  information  about  Community  measures  relating  to 
forestry  as  well  as  basic  information  on  Member  States'  national  or  subnational 
forest  policies and programmes; 

— carrying  out  information  gathering  and  analysis  of  the  future  development  of  the 
forestry  sector  with  respect  to  trade,  industry,  employment  and  environmental 
issues. 

These actions will contribute to the implementation of IPF proposals (No 89). 

5.  The Internal Market and EU trade 

Forestry  and  forest-based  commercial  activities  are  part  of  the  open  sector  of  the 
economy,  and  the  production  of  timber,  as the  main  commercial  function,  is  guided 
primarily by market  forces. 
The EU forestry  sector cannot be considered in isolation from  those of other countries. 
Any  measures  must  be  compatible  with  our  international  trade  obligations  as  well  as 
subject  to  any  other  commitments  to  which  the  EU  is  signatory.  In  particular,  the 
WTO  provisions  on international trade,  including  trade  arid  environment  issues,  apply 
to the trade of all forest  products with third countries. 
Fiscal  measures  and  public  aid  for  forestry  are  devised  and  implemented  by  the 
Member  States;  any  aid  granted  by  Member  States  to  the  forestry  sector  must  be 
compatible  with  the  rules  of  the  common  market  and  must  be  notified  to  the 
Commission.  EU  support  for  forestry  is  in  general  based  on  financial  contributions 
within  the  framework  of  aid  systems  established  by  the  Member  States  under  their 
forestry  policies  and  programmes;  such  support  must  respect  market-based  discipline 
and ensure the effective  functioning  of competition policy. 

Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 (OJ L 165, 15.6.1989, p. 12) 
International Tropical Timber Organization. 

13 

A number  of legal  instruments  established  at EU  level  influence  commercial  activities 
relating to the forestry  sector. In particular these are: 

- 

technical  and  environmental  standards  for  forest  products,  which  seek  to  improve 
the operating conditions for  forestry  and forest  industries inside the Community and 
to remove any market distortion and obstacles; 

-  common  rules  on the  quality  and  marketing  of forest  reproductive  material,  which 
help  to  ensure  high  quality  in  forest  reproductive  material  in  the  Community;  the 
Commission will shortly be putting a proposal for a new directive to the Council; 
-  plant-health  controls:  the  Community  is  playing  an  increasingly  active  role  in  the 
protection  of the  health  and  vitality  of forest  ecosystems  through  its  responsibility 
for  preventing  plant-health  risks  deriving from  imports of timber in the rough  from 
non-member countries. 

The Commission considers that the current and proposed  Community measures permit 
the commercial exploitation of forests within the framework  of the single market and is 
not therefore  suggesting any new initiatives in this context. 

6. The EU forest-based  industries 

As  far  as  the  EU  forest-based  industries  are  concerned,  the  EU  industry  wants  to 
contribute to the  sustainable  development  of the whole  forestry  sector by  maintaining 
its  competitiveness  vis-a-vis  other  materials  within  global  competition  and  the 
challenges  brought  about  by  environmental  goals,  whilst  taking  advantage  of  the 
opportunity offered  by the Information  Society. 

The  main  action  points  for  the  EU  forest-based  industries  will  be  addressed  in  a 
separate,  forthcoming  Communication  to  Council  and  Parliament  on  the  sustainable 
competitiveness of the EU forest-based  industries. 

7. Community  support  for forestry  research 

In  the  Fourth  Framework  Programme  for  RTD  (1994-1998),  research  activities  on 
forestry  are  essentially  carried  out  by  the  specific  programme,  "Agriculture  and 
Fisheries  (including  agro-industry,  food  technologies,  forestry,  aquaculture  and  rural 
development)"  (FAIR). In  addition,  a number  of other  specific  RTD  programmes  and 
actions  are  also  dealt  with  issues  relevant  to  forestry  namely:  the  Environment  and 
Climate  programme,  the  Co-operation  with  Third  Countries  and  International 
Organisations  (INCO)  programme,  COST  (Cooperation  on  Science  and  Technology) 
actions,  Training  and  Mobility  of Researchers  and  Technology  Stimulation  Measures 
forSMEs. 

With respect to the FAIR programme, the objectives are 

i) 

ii) 

to  strengthen  the  competitiveness  of  the  European  forest  sector  by  improving, 
consolidating and harmonising research activities in Europe and 
to  support  the  protection,  development  and  exploitation  of European  forests  and 
the Union's commitment to sustainable multifunctional  management of forests. 

The  concept  of  forestry-wood  chain  is introduced  and  implemented  under  the  FAIR 
programme. Projects in this field have evolved from  relatively small in size and budget, 

14 

solving specific problems along the "chain", to integrated  ones aiming at optimising the 
efficiency  and  productivity  of  the  entire  "production  and  processing  chain"  and 
matching the  sustainable production  of forest  resources to  industrial  and market  needs 
and requirements. 

Concerning  the  multifunctional  management  of  forests,  the  priority  is  essentially  put 
on: 

-  The socio-economic situation of the forestry  sector and the policies applied therein; 

the prospects for  supply and demand in the short, medium and long-term. 

-  The  functioning  of  forestry  ecosystems  and  the  interaction  between  forestry  and 

ecosystems. 

-  The impact of natural hazards and human activities; the causes of forest  dieback,  the 
adaptive  capacity  of  forests,  forestry  protection,  and  the  restoration  of  damaged 
forests. 

-  The  sustainable  and  multifunctional  management  of forests,  analysis,  methods  and 
suitable  indicators,  the  appropriate  afforestation,  management  and  exploitation 
techniques  and  methods,  the  genetic  improvement  of  trees  for  better  growth, 
resistance and quality, and the optimisation of agro-forestry  systems. 

-  Support  for  cork production through genetic improvement  and the improvement  of 

production, management, health protection and exploitation techniques. 

The  Environment  and  Climate  programme  contributes  to  forest  research  with  the 
emphasis  of  forest  issues  linked  with  environmental  concern.  Besides  fundamental 
ecosystem research,  the impact  of air pollution,  climate change, fertilisation  effects  on 
European  forests  have been  investigated.  Management  strategies  for  the  conservation 
of  carbon  stores  in  forests  have  been  developed  and  the  effects  of  land-use  change 
practices  have  been  assessed  by  using  remote  sensing  tools  and  other  advanced 
technologies. 

Research  cooperation  on  tropical  forestry,  cooperation  with  third  countries  and 
international  organisations  will  be  subject  of  a  future  communication  from  the 
Commission on development  and cooperation (see chapter 8). 

As to  the  future,  in  April  1997  the  Commission  has  put  forward  a  proposal  for  the 
Fifth  Framework  Programme  for  RTD, which will take  over  during  the  period  1998-
2002. As stated in the proposal, European  research  should be made more efficient  and 
directed  towards meeting  social and  economic needs. The concept  of  "Key Action"  is 
introduced  as  a  major  research  support  carrier  under  which,  multidisciplinary  and 
integrated  research  efforts  are  focused  upon  problems  of  major  socio-economic 
importance. 

Forestry  research  is  incorporated  within  the  Key  Action:  "Sustainable  agriculture, 
fisheries  and  forestry  including  integrated  development  of  rural  areas"  under  the 
Specific  Programme  "Quality  of  life  and  management  of  living  resources".  The 
objectives are to provide methods and instruments for the conservation,  protection and 
sustainable  multifunctional  management  of 
the 
implementation  of  Community  measures  and  international  commitments  and  ensuring 
the sector's competitiveness  and valuation.  In addition,  systems of forestry  production 
and  process  technologies  will  contribute  to  the  delivery  of  new  or  improved  forest 

supporting 

thereby 

forests 

15 

products  with  high  value-added  and  lower  impact  on  the  environment.  The  research 
priorities will concentrate on: 

-  multifunctional  management  of 

issues; 
diversification  (non-wood  uses,  agro-sylvo-pastoral  systems),  multifunctional  and 
sustainable  management  combining  quality  production  with  conservation  and 
protection. Forest  ecosystems biodiversity and protection of forest  soils. 

forest  policy 

support 

forests: 

to 

-  sustainable  and  multipurpose  utilisation  of  forest  resources:  the  forestry-wood 
chain:  strategies for the  sustainable management  and utilisation  of forest  resources; 
efficient,  environmentally-friendly  processes and recycling technologies; high value-
added  and  diversified  products  accounting  for  market  needs  and  consumer 
requirements. 

Forest  research  remains  a  key  issue  in  Key  Action  "Climate,  Global  Change  and 
Biodiversity"  of the  Specific  Programme  "Preserving  the Ecosystem".  Priority  will  be 
given  to  ecosystems,  biodiversity  research  issues  and  development  of  strategies  and 
adaptations  to  climate  change  in  order  to  fulfil  the  commitments  of  the  Kyoto 
Protocol.  Research  issues  on  renewable  energy  systems,  in  particular  biomass  to 
energy systems, will also be addressed within this specific programme. 

The  implementation  of  the  above  RTD  specific  programmes  will  also  comprise 
activities  and  mechanisms  aimed  at  stimulating,  disseminating  and  exploiting  RTD 
results. 

8.  Development  Cooperation 

The  overall  goal  of  the  Community  forest  development  cooperation  is  to  promote 
sustainable forest  management  in developing countries as a contribution to  sustainable 
development  globally.  This  goal  will  be  pursued  in  accordance  with  the  legal  and 
political  commitments  arising  from  various  international  forums  and  agreements.  The 
activities  seeking  to  achieve  this  goal  will  have  to  recognise  the  role  of  forests  in 
economic  and  social  development,  the  conservation  of  biological  diversity,  action  to 
combat  desertification,  carbon  sequestration  that  mitigates  climate  change,  and  the 
safeguarding  of natural habitats  and  their  ecological  functions.  This entails the  proper 
upgrading  of  natural  resources  and  the  recognition  of  the  role  of  the  various 
stakeholders in the forestry  sector. 

The EC will concentrate its assistance to developing countries in the forestry  sector  on 
those areas where it will have maximum positive impact, whilst taking into account  the 
socio-economic  environmental  and cultural importance of developing  countries'  forest 
resources and their progress towards sustainable development. 
Priority  areas  for  dialogue  and  assistance  are  policy  and  institutional  reform, 
stakeholder 
involvement,  capacity  building  and  research  for  sustainable  forest 
management  as well  as forest  ecosystem  conservation.  Assistance  will be  provided  at 
national,  regional  and  international  level,  including  support  to  fulfil  commitments 
arising from the relevant international environmental agreements. 

The Commission will soon present  a communication to the Council  and Parliament  on 
Forestry Development  Cooperation. 

16 

9. International  cooperation 

<-  at pan-European level: 

The  Community  will  continue  its  active  participation  in  the  implementation  of 
decisions  taken  at  the  Ministerial  Conferences  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in 
Europe  and  will  support  the  further  development  of  cooperative  action  in  this 
regard.  This  will  be  achieved  in  particular  through  the  Community  actions  in 
relation  to  forest  protection,  research,  forest  information  and  communication  as 
well  as  through  the  existing  instruments  relating  to  the  conservation  of  natural 
habitats and genetic resources and through the continued implementation  of the IPF 
proposals for  action. 
Particular  attention  should be paid to  the protection  of boreal  forests  in Russia  and 
in the New  Independent  States  and  to  the  preservation  of  its privileged  ecological 
status in particular in terms of biodiversity. 

-  at global level: 

The  Community  will  maintain  a pro-active  presence  in the  international  discussion 
and negotiation forums relating to forests,  in particular the IFF (International  Forum 
on  Forests),  and  will  promote  a  global  legally  binding  instrument  concerning 
management,  conservation  and  sustainable  development  of all types of forests.  The 
Community  should  also  seek to  develop, where appropriate,  international  standards 
in the forestry  sector. 

10. Coordination 

The  commitments  entered  into  in  the  framework  of  the  pan-European  and  other 
international  processes  to  establish  national  or  subnational  forest  programmes 
emphasise  the  benefits  of  effective  coordination  between  the  various  policy  sectors 
which  have  an  influence  on  forestry  within the  Member  States.  At  Community  level, 
coordination  and  consultation  on  Community  measures  relating  to  forestry  will 
principally involve two main cooperation  platforms: 

- 

the  Standing  Forestry  Committee23,  which  brings  together  representatives  of  the 
Member States with the Commission in the chair and which has three roles: 

•  an advisory, regulatory and management function  for  specific forest  measures; 
•  an  ad  hoc  consultation  forum  providing  expertise  and  monitoring  for  forestry 
measures  or initiatives in the  framework  of various  Community  policies  such  as 
those on rural development,  environment and research; 

•  a  venue  for  the  exchange  of  information  among  Member  States  and  with  the 

Commission and for voluntary coordination on international forestry issues. 

- 

the  Consultative  Committees,  advising  the  Commission,  providing  opinions  and 
promoting exchange of information: 
•  Forests, including cork24 bringing together  forestry  players from  the  professional 
and associated worlds in order to  exchange information  and  opinions on  forestry 
matters with a European  dimension, 

23 

24 

Set up by Decision 89/367/EEC (OJ L 165, 15.6.1989, p. 14) 
Decision 98/235/EC (OJ L 88, 24.3.1998, p. 59) 

17 

•'  Forestry  and  Forestry-based  Industry25,  bringing  together  representatives  from 
the whole  spectrum of EU forest-based  industries and forestry,  working  actively 
through six working groups. 

Coordination  within  the  Commission  between  departments  dealing  with  Community 
policies  relating 
through  ad  hoc 
interdepartmental networks depending on the subject to be dealt with. 

the  forestry  sector  will  be  organised 

to 

C. Forestry measures under Agenda 2000 

1.  Support for the Member States in their efforts to achieve sustainable forest 

management 

The Commission proposal  on rural  development  policy in the context  of Agenda  2000 
provides  a  good  basis  for  providing  support  for  the  Member  States  in  their 
implementation  of  the  strategy  to  promote  the  management,  conservation  and 
sustainable development of forests. 

Taking into  account  the basic principles of Agenda 2000,  e.g.  stimulating  employment 
and  improving the  quality  of our natural  environment  and  the  quality  of life,  the  main 
objective  of  the  rural  development  proposals  is  to  allow  Member  States  to  develop 
integrated  programmes  at  an  appropriate  regional  level  to  meet  the  diverse  needs  of 
European  rural  areas.  Sustainable  forestry  management  measures  dovetailing  with 
other rural development initiatives form  a crucial part of the overall strategy. 
Rural development  programmes will accordingly enable the Community to  support  the 
implementation  of  national  and  subnational  forest  programmes  or  equivalent 
instruments in line with the objectives of rural development  and in accordance with the 
principle of subsidiarity. 

Through  their  regional  and  national  programmes  the  Member  States  will  work  out 
their  needs  at  the  appropriate  level  and  define  their  priorities  in  order  to  obtain  a 
contribution  from  the  Union  to  implement  the  forestry  strategy  and  respond  to  the 
need for  action  stemming from  international  Conventions,  such  as those  on Biological 
Diversity,  Climate  Change  and  Desertification  and  the  implementation  of  IPF 
proposals. 

The forestry  chapter of the Commission proposal on rural development policy provides 
support  for  a  whole  range  of  actions  to  promote  sustainable  management  of  forests 
and to contribute to specific problems, such as biodiversity,  climate change or wood  as 
a source of energy, by means of: 

-  forest  protection measures; 
- 
-  preserving  and  improving  the  ecological  value  and  restoring  damaged  forests  and 

the development  and enhancement of the socio-economic potential of forests; 

ensuring the protective functions  of forests; 

-  promoting  new  outlets  for  the  use  of  wood  and  extending  the  area  under  forests 

through  afforestation; 

-  joint  management  of  small  woodlands  through  the  setting-up  of  associations  of 

forest  owners; 

, 

25  Decision 97/837/EC (OJ L 346, 17.12.1997, p. 95) 

18 

-  education  and  training  programmes,  especially  targeting  forest  owners  and 
managers  and  focusing  on new  opportunities  and  techniques  for  the  production  of 
goods and services from  forests  and on techniques compatible with the maintenance 
of the landscape and the protection of the environment. 

Forestry  measures  as laid  down  in the  Agenda 2000  proposals  are integrated  into  the 
rural  development  programming  and  the  reorganised  financial  rules.  In  regions 
qualifying  for Objective  1 or eligible under the new Objective 2 these measures shall be 
part of the integrated  programmes of the Structural Funds. The evaluating of measures 
covered  by  rural  development  programming  including  forestry  measures,  shall  be 
carried out  on the basis of principles and procedures laid down in the proposals.  These 
include ex-ante, intermediate  and  ex-post  evaluations  concerning  the effectiveness  and 
efficiency  of community financed  interventions. 

2. Pre-accession  measures 

The  Commission  has  presented  a  proposal  for  a  Council  Regulation  on  Community 
support  for  pre-accession  measures  for  agriculture  and  rural  development  in  the 
applicant  countries of Central  and Eastern Europe in the pre-accession  period  relating 
in particular to: 

(a)  resolving  priority  and  specific  problems  for  the  sustainable  adaptation  of  the 

agricultural sector and rural areas in the applicant countries; 

(b)  contributing  to  the  implementation  by  them  of  the  acquis  communautaire  as 

regards the common agricultural policy and related policies. 

Support  for  agricultural  and  rural  development  may  in  particular  cover  forestry, 
including  afforestation,  investments  in forest  holdings  owned  by private forest  owners 
and the processing and marketing of forestry products. 

This  Commission's  proposal  contributes  to  the  management,  conservation  and 
sustainable  development  of forests  in central  and  eastern Europe,  emphasis being  laid 
on the following problems in particular: 

- 

- 

the health condition of forest  ecosystems, disturbed  mainly by industrial pollution or 
poorly  regulated  domestic  heating,  is  a  major  concern;  solutions  to  these 
environmental  concerns  need  to  be  found  in  several  policy  areas  whereas  forestry 
policy should seek to preserve or restore the forest  heritage whenever possible; 
the  adaptation  of  the  forestry  sector  to  internal  market  rules  is  uncertain  since 
problems  such  as  the  development  of  ownership  pattern  are  unclear.  The 
Community  should  focus  its  efforts  on  enabling  these  countries  to  achieve  sound 
implementation  of  sustainable 
to  avoid 
environmental  threats,  although the high demand  for  cutting  is increasing  owing  to 
the recovery of the market for wood  and the general economy.  Community  support 
for  the processing  and  marketing  of forestry  products  should focus  in particular  on 
environmental  issues  to  enable  these  countries  to  comply  with  the  Community's 
environmental  standards and  avoid  creating any distortion  of competition  on global 
markets; 

forest-management  practices  and 

- 

there  is  a  clear  need  to  improve  the  infrastructure  and  functioning  of the  forestry 
sector  in  the  applicant  countries.  Promoting  institutional  and  capacity  building 

19 

activities,  particularly  forest  statistics,  is important  during  the  pre-accession  phase 
to  enable  sustainable  forest  management  procedures to  be  set up  or  reinforced.  To 
ensure  wide  application  of  proposed  measures,  support  to  establish  forest  owners 
associations  or  other  structures  that  will  promote  dissemination  of  relevant 
information  to obtain the objectives of sustainable forest  management is needed. 

D. Specific  items relating to forestry 

1. Conservation of forest  biodiversity26 

Addressing  biodiversity  concerns  in  forests  requires  measures  in  three  areas:  the 
conservation,  the sustainable use and the equitable  sharing  of benefits  arising from  the 
use of forests'  genetic resources. 
In this context,  actions for the conservation of forest  biodiversity  should be taken both 
"in situ " and "ex situ ". 
Within the Union the in-situ  conservation of forest  biological diversity could be largely 
achieved  by  appropriate  forest  management  systems  as  actually  there  exist  only  few 
forest  areas which are withheld from  commercial utilisation. 

Actions for in situ conservation should consider, inter alia, two main aspects : 

a)  Conservation  and  enhancement  of  biodiversity  in  sustainable  management  systems 
for  all  forests  to  ensure  that  forest  species  are  able  to  survive  under  natural 
conditions  and  are  able  to  maintain  or  recover  vigorous  populations  over  their 
distribution  area.  This  implies  that  forest  managers  need  to  take  into  account 
guidelines for,  inter alia: 

•  appropriate  ecological  site  adaptation  measures  through  diverse  silvicultural 
techniques  combined  with  accessory  measures  (e.g.  respecting  dead  wood  and 
other key micro-habitats  present  in forests).  Particular  emphasis  should  be given 
to  regeneration  methods,  such  as  natural  regeneration,  to  preserve  the  local 
genetic pools; tree  species and varieties that  are planted  should be native or well 
suited to local conditions and ecosystems; 

•  maintenance  of  forest  ecosystem  health  and  vitality  by  enhancing  regenerative 

capacity, resistance and adaptive capacity of forest  ecosystems; 

•  restoration  and  rehabilitation  of  degraded  areas,  species,  populations,  habitats 

and ecosystems; 

•  maintenance  of traditional management  of silvo-pastoral systems with high levels 
of  biodiversity  which  may  be  lost  if  these  areas  are  abandoned  (e.g.  in  the 
Mediterranean regions) 

improving harvesting techniques to keep related damages as limited as possible; 
• 
•  conducting  afforestation  measures  in  a  manner  that  does  not  negatively  affect 
ecologically  interesting  or  noteworthy  sites, habitats  and  ecosystems  landscapes 
(e.g.  the  chosen  tree  species  should  be  well  suited  to  local  conditions  and 
ecosystems;  native  species  or  local  provenances  should  be  preferred;  whenever 

26  See  also  COM(l998)42  final  -  Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the 

European Parliament on a European Community Biodiversity Strategy 

20 

introduced  species  are  used,  sufficient  attention  should  be  taken  to  ensure  the 
conservation of native flora and fauna). 

The  implementation  of  such  guidelines  should  usually  be  location-specific  and 
depend  on  the  bio-geographical  and  biophysical  characteristics  of  the  forests  and 
their biodiversity as well as on economic and social aspects. 

b)  The  establishment  of  specially  managed  protected  zones  as  a  complementary 

instrument to  sustainable management of forests. 

The  conservation  of  the  remaining  areas  of  primary  forests  and  the  protection  of 
areas  with  high  ecological 
the 
establishment  of protected areas. 

fragility  need  specific 

initiatives 

through 

Such  protected  areas  should  contribute  significantly  in  furthering  the  management 
of  all  types  of  forests  on  a  sustainable  basis,  and  also  to  enhance  social,  cultural, 
environmental  and  economic benefits  of forests.  A broader "bio-regional"  approach 
is therefore  necessary  which  incorporates  biodiversity  conservation  objectives  with 
a  sustainable  use  of  the  biological  resources  and  relevant  socio-economic  issues 
when forest  sites are  selected  on the basis of  species richness, threats  or  biological 
criteria as being of international value for forest  biodiversity. 

The full  participation  of all concerned  people, including forest  owners,  during both 
the  decision  process  to  establish  these  areas  and  their  management  is  specially 
relevant  as  the  conservation  of  biodiversity  often  depends  on  the  maintenance  of 
human  activities  in  such  areas;  an  active  information  policy  in  the  scope  of  any 
management  restrictions  is required.  The responsible  authorities  should  ensure  the 
involvement  of forest  owners in developments on protected areas. 

In  this  context,  the  EU  is  contributing  to  the  establishment  of  protected  areas 
through the ecological network "NATURA 2000" consisting of "Special  Protection 
Areas"  (SPAs)  emanating  from  the  Birds  Directive27  and  "Special  Conservation 
Areas" (SCAs) emanating from the Habitat Directive28. 
Measures taken pursuant  to these Directives are designed to maintain  or restore,  at 
favourable  conservation  status,  natural  habitats and  species  of wild  fauna  and flora 
of  Community 
taking  account  of  economic,  social  and  cultural 
requirements and regional and local characteristics. 

interest, 

Actions  for  ex-situ  conservation  should  consider,  inter  alia,  measures  related  to 
conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in forestry 
in the frame  of Council regulation  1467/9429 
In addition, it should be also important to enhance: 

-  efforts  to  harmonise  approaches  to  data  collection  and  analysis  of  indicators  for 
assessing  biodiversity  of  forest  ecosystems  by  supporting  the  applications  of  the 
pan-European  criteria  and  indicators for  sustainable  management  in the  framework 
of the EFICS regulation 

27 

28 

29 

Council Directive 79/409/EEC of 2.4.1979 (OJ No L 103, 25.4.1979, p. 1) 
Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21.5.1992 (OJ No L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7) 
OJNoL159, 28.6.1994, p. 1 

21 

-  research  actions  on the  impacts  of management  systems  in biological  diversity  and 
on  how  forest  management  systems  can maintain  and  enhance  biological  diversity, 
while ensuring their economic viability. 

Taking  into  account  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  the  Member  States  have  the 
responsibility to  integrate biodiversity  concerns in an appropriate  way in their  national 
forest  programmes or equivalent instruments. 

Within  the  Commission's  proposal  on  Rural  Development,  the  Community  will  have 
the  possibility  to  support  such  efforts  of  the  Member  States  and  in  particular  by 
supporting  actions to  preserve  and  enhance the ecological values of forest,  to  support 
training  activities,  to  preserve  and  improve  the  ecological  stability  of  forests  or 
restoring  damaged  forests  in  areas  of  serious  natural  handicaps  as  well  as  by 
appropriate afforestation  measures adapted to local conditions and ecosystems. 

Furthermore  it  should  be  noted  that  the  Community  specific  forestry  protection 
measures  (atmospheric  pollution  and  forest  fires)  contribute  to  the  conservation  of 
biodiversity. 

The  measures  proposed  by  the  Commission  in  Agenda  2000  and  in  particular  in  the 
forest  chapter  of the  draft  regulation  on rural  development  are  a useful  instrument  to 
enhance  biodiversity  but  much  of  its  efficiency  will  depend  on  the  relevance  of  the 
programmes  and  measures  which  will be  implemented  at  national  and  regional  level. 
Therefore,  the  Commission  will maintain the  situation  of biodiversity  in forests  under 
review.  Subject  to  the  conclusions  of  that  review,  the  Commission  will  present 
proposals  for  action  on the  conservation  and  sustainable  use  of  forest  biodiversity,  in 
accordance  with  the  commitments  laid  down  in  the  communication  on  a  European 
Community  Biodiversity  Strategy,  and  taking  into  account  the  efforts  done  at  global 
and pan-European level in this context. 

2.  Wood as a source of energy 

The White Paper for  a Community strategy and action plan entitled "An Energy Policy 
for  the  European  Union"30  predicts  that  the  percentage  of  energy  produced  from 
renewable  sources will  amount  to  12% of total  energy by the  year  2010  (the  current 
level  is  less  than  6%),  and  thereby  anticipates  a  substantial  increase  in  the  use  of 
biomass  for  energy  purposes  in  addition  to  extensive  use  of  hydropower,  wind  and 
solar energy.  The potential  that  forests  can play as a source of energy,  either by  short 
rotation  plantations  or  by  the  use  of  forest  residues  and  available  low  quality  wood 
should be  favoured. 

When  exploring  the  possibilities  of  increasing  the  potential  of  energy  crops  from 
forestry,  the following  considerations must be taken into account: 

- 

the potential of wood-based biomass as a source of energy should not be overstated 
on  the  basis  of  general  theoretical  data  about  the  availability  of  forest  resources, 
because  these  resources  vary  in  distribution  and  type,  which  partly  explains  the 
difficulty  in evaluating their real potential for energy use at EU level; 

30  COM (95) 682 final of 13 December 1995. 

22 

-  at  present  wood  is  in  most  cases  a  more  expensive  raw  material  for  energy 
production  than  competing  products.  One  way  to  address  this  could  involve 
adjusting  taxes.  Any  change  in  tax  systems  in  the  Member  States  or  at  EU  level 
should  take  due  account  of  demand  for  wood  products  and  the  requirements  of 
industry for  sustainable wood products; 

-  although  short  rotation  forestry  for  energy production  can  contribute  to  a  slowing 
of the  rise  in  atmospheric  carbon  dioxide  concentrations,  care  should  be  taken  to 
ensure that this does not have adverse effects  on the environment. 

The issue of Community support for the use of wood  as a source of energy is currently 
being  discussed  within  the  framework  of  the  Commission  proposal  on  Rural 
Development. 

3.  Climate change 

As  explained  in the  Commission  Communication  entitled  "Climate  change  -  Towards 
an  EU  post-Kyoto  strategy"31,  forests  play  an  important  role  in  the  global  carbon 
cycle. In  some regions they  are net  sources of carbon  dioxide,  primarily  as a result  of 
deforestation  and forest  degradation,  whereas in other regions,  including Europe,  they 
act  as net  carbon  sinks.  There  is however  little  scientific  knowledge  available to  date 
about the potential of carbon  sinks in relation to forest  ecosystems and research  efforts 
in this  area  must  therefore  be  stepped  up.  The  authoritative  Intergovernmental  Panel 
on  Climate  Change  (IPCC)  estimates  that  about  12%  to  15%  of  projected  carbon 
dioxide emissions from  fossil fuel  consumption world-wide from  now to 2050 could be 
absorbed  by  slowing  deforestation,  promoting  forest  regeneration  and  increasing  the 
area  in  plantation  and  agro-forestry  systems.  Tropical  America  has  the  greatest 
potential  for  increasing  carbon  storage,  followed  by  Asia  and  tropical  Africa32. 
However,  this will not  preclude  the  Community  to  encourage  the  optimisation  of the 
sequestration capacities of European  forests. 

The potential  of forests  and  forest  soils as a carbon  sink within the Union  can be best 
utilised through the  sustainable development  and protection  of our forests,  even if our 
contribution  to  the  global  problem  will  remain  rather  limited.  Furthermore,  carbon 
uptake  and  storage  by  forests  is  a  long-term  process,  which  may  have  significant 
impact on a time scale of 20 to 50 years or even longer. 

Forests can contribute to carbon storage through: 

•  maintaining  and/or  increasing  existing  carbon  pools  by  improving  existing  forest 

protection and management; 

•  expanding  forest  area  through  afforestation  of  agricultural  land,  with  species 

adapted to local conditions or preferably native species or local provenances; 

•  replacing fossil fuels with fuelwood  from  sustainably managed  forests; 

•  replacing  high-energy  products  (e.g.  steel,  aluminium  and  concrete)  with  industrial 

wood products (low-energy renewable raw material). 

COM (1998) 353  final. 

32  FAO report on state of the World's Forests,  1997. 

23 

All  these  objectives  can  be  achieved  through  various  forest  management  practices, 
land-use  practices  and  marketing  efforts  which,  in  line  with  the  principle  of 
subsidiarity,  should primarily be initiated by the Member States. 

Reporting  and verification  are major  issues which foresters  have to  face  in the  future. 
There  is  a  specific  need  for  a  transnational  system  of  accounting,  based  on  current 
update methodologies,  involving measurements, modelling  and data-basing  in order  to 
fulfil  the  requirements  of transparencies  and verification  of the  implementation  of the 
Kyoto Protocol. 

The  Community  will  make  full  use  of  its  existing  instruments  such  as  the  forest 
protection  measures,  research  and  development  and  the  proposed  forest  measures  in 
rural  development  to  support  the  efforts  of the  Member  States  in relation  to  climate 
change,  whose  potential  effects  on  the  health  status  of  our  forests  can  not  be 
underestimated  either.  The Commission will remain  open-minded  on the possibility  of 
any further  instruments. 

4.  Forest  certification 

Forest  certification  is defined  as a procedure  which  consists  of the verification,  by  an 
independent  third party, that the forests  in question  are managed  in a sustainable way. 
Related  labelling  to  forest  certification  can  be  a  mark  guaranteeing  that  the  raw 
material of a defined  wood-based product is originating from  a certified  forest. 

Forest  certification  therefore only refers to forest  management  and not to the entire life 
cycle of the wood-based  product33. 

Forest  certification  systems  and  related  labelling  are  market  based  instruments  which 
aimed primarily to promote the sustainable management of forests and the use of  forest 
products coming from  renewable and sustainable sources. 

In Europe  such systems are also likely to  contribute to  improve  consumer  information 
on  the  environmental  qualities  of  sustainable  forest  management  and  to  promote  the 
use  of  timber  as  an  environmentally  friendly  and  renewable  raw  material.  The  main 
objective  is  to  establish  comparability,  credibility  through  sufficient  verification  of 
conformity to  standards or performance  indicators. 

Forest programmes and policies of Member States are nevertheless the key instruments 
for  ensuring that  sustainable forest  management and certification  schemes can act as an 
additional incentive. 

European forest-certification  schemes and related  labelling  should be based  on  criteria 
and  performance  indicators  comparable  and  compatible  with  internationally  agreed 
principles.  In  addition,  they  should  respect  the following  general  principles:  voluntary 
nature, credibility, transparency; cost effectiveness  participation of all related  interested 
parties,  open  access  and  non  discrimination  with  respect  of  forest  types  and  owners. 
One  essential  element  providing  credibility  is  the  independent  audit  of  forest 
management and chain of custody. 

The  Commission  welcomes the initiatives taken  by governments,  regional  authorities, 
NGO's  or  private  sector  for  the  potential  experience  they  can  offer.  Recently, 

This aspect is covered by the Commission's proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) on a revised 
Community eco-label award scheme (COM/96/0603 final,  OJ C 114, 12.4.1997, p. 9), amending 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 880/92 of 23 March 1992 on a Community eco-label award scheme. 

24 

representatives  of  forestry,  forest  industries  and  trade  from  several  Member  States 
began  to  elaborate  a  pan-European  forest  certification  and  authentication  framework 
based  on the  pan-European  criteria  and  indicators  for  sustainable  management.  Given 
certain limitations,  risk  of duplication  and lack  of comparability  of all these initiatives, 
the  Commission  will  analyse  them  and  consider  the  need  for  possible  complementary 
action  at  EC  level,  possibly  involving  a  legal  instrument  laying  down  essential 
requirements  for  voluntary  certification  and  labelling  initiatives.  Such  an  instrument 
would  then  provide  for  the  introduction  of  an  EU  logo  for  sustainable  forest 
management  and  address  such  issues  as sustainable  forest  management  standards,  the 
level of assessment,  auditing bodies, the chain of custody and dispute settlement. 

£.  Conclusion 

At  present  the  Commission  considers  that,  together  with  the  proposals  on  rural 
development  in the context  of Agenda 2000, the existing forestry  measures provide an 
adequate  contribution  to  an  EU  forestry  strategy.  The  prolongation  and  eventual 
revision  of the  existing forestry  measures will be  envisaged  in line with the  objectives 
and recommendations  of this  strategy.  The Commission will present  at  an  appropriate 
time  any  further  actions  such  as  for  example  a  Community  framework  for  voluntary 
forest  certification  and related labelling initiatives in the Union. 

The  Commission  calls  on  the  Council  to  adopt  the  strategy  as  presented  in  this 
Communication. 

25 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 649 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

03  14  15 

Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-98-680-EN-C 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European  Communities 

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