Council Resolution of 15 December 1998 on a forestry strategy for the European Union
Date: 1998-12-15
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European Union, ecosystem, environmental protection, forest, protected area

26.2.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  56/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL  RESOLUTION

of  15  December  1998

on  a  forestry  strategy  for  the  European  Union

(1999/C  56/01)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

Acknowledging  the  benefits  of  a  Forestry  Strategy  for
the  European  Union  as  set  out  in  this  Resolution  based
primarily  on  the  general  analysis  and  guidelines  of  the
Communication  of  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and
the  European  Parliament;

Having  regard  to  the  existing  legislation  of  the  Council
concerning  the  forest  sector,  as  well  as  the  proposals  on
the  support  of  forestry  measures  in  the  Member  States
made  within  the  framework  of  the  Agenda  2000;

Considering  the  activities  and  commitments  made  by  the
European  Union  and  its  Member  States  in  all  relevant
international  processes  related  to  forests,  in  particular  the
UN  Conference  for  Environment  and  Development  in
1992  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  its  follow(cid:220)up(cid:216)(˛),  as  well  as
the  Ministerial  Conferences  on  the  Protection  of  Forests
in  Europe  and  its  principles  and  recommendations  for
the  forest  sector;

1.(cid:217)EMPHASISES  the  importance  of  the  multifunctional
role  of  forests  and  sustainable  forest  management
their  social,  economic,  environmental,
based  on 
ecological  and  cultural  functions  for 
the  devel(cid:220)
opment  of  society  and,  in  particular,  rural  areas  and
emphasises  the  contribution  forests  and  forestry  can
make  to  existing  Community  policies,

2.(cid:217)IDENTIFIES  as  substantial  elements  of  this  common

Forestry  Strategy

(˛)(cid:217)UNCED,  Ungass,  XI  World  Forestry  Congress, 

the
Convention  on  Biological  Diversity,  the  Convention  on
Climate  Change,  the  Convention  to  Combat  Desertification
and  the  first,  second  and  third  Ministerial  Conferences  on
the  Protection  of  Forests  in  Europe.

(a)(cid:217) sustainable  forest  management  as  defined  by  the
Ministerial  Conference  on  the  Protection  of
Forests  in  Europe  in  Helsinki  1993,  and  the
multifunctional  role  of  forests  as  overall  prin(cid:220)
ciples  for  action;

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

the 

Treaty 

establishing 

the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  given  the  fact  that
the 
European
Community  makes  no  provision  for  a  specific
common  forestry  policy  and  that  responsibility
for  forestry  policy  lies  with  the  Member  States,
nevertheless  taking  into  account  that,  pursuant
to  the  principle  of  subsidiarity  and  the  concept
of  shared  responsibility,  the  Community  can
contribute  positively  to  the  implementation  of
sustainable  forest  management  and  the  multi(cid:220)
functional  role  of  forests;

the  contribution  of  existing  and  future  measures
at  Community  level  for  the  implementation  of  a
Forestry  Strategy  and  for  the  support  of  the
Member  States  with  regard  to  sustainable  forest
management  and  the  multifunctional  role  of
forests,  protection  of  forests,  development  and
maintenance  of  rural  areas,  forest  heritage,
biological  diversity,  climate  change,  use  of
wood  as  a  renewable  source  of  energy  etc.,
while  avoiding  market(cid:220)distorting  measures;

of 

implementation 

the 
international
commitments,  principles  and  recommendations
through 
forest
or 
national 
instruments
appropriate 
or 
programmes 
developed  by  the  Member  States;

sub(cid:220)national 

the  active  participation 
processes  related  to  the  forest  sector;

in  all 

international

the  need  to  improve  coordination,  communi(cid:220)
cation  and  cooperation  in  all  policy  areas  with
the
forest 
relevance 
Commission,  between  the  Commission  and  the
Member  States,  as  well  as  between  the  Member
States;

sector  within 

the 

to 

C  56/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

26.2.1999

(g)

(h)

(i)

(j)

(k)

(l)

importance 
for 

sustainable 
conservation 

forest
of 
the 
management 
and
the 
enhancement  of  biological  diversity,  for  the
living  conditions  for  animals  and  plants,  and  the
fact  that  this  sustainable  forest  management  is
one  of  many  measures 
to  combat  climate
change;

forest  products 

the  use  of  wood  and
the  promotion  of 
sustainably
non(cid:220)wood 
managed 
friendly
forests  as  environmentally 
products  in  line  with  the  rules  of  the  open
market;

from 

the  contribution  of  forestry  and  forest(cid:220)based
income,  employment  and  other
industries  to 
life,  whilst
elements  affecting  the  quality  of 
recognising  the  close  connection  between  these
two  areas  which  influences  their  competitiveness
and  economic  viability;

Trade, 

Energy, 

the  need  for  better  integration  of  forests  and
forest  products  in  all  sectoral  common  policies,
the
like 
the  Common  Agricultural  Policy, 
Industry,
Environment, 
Research,  Internal  Market  and  Development
Cooperation  policies, 
into
account  both  the  contribution  of  forests  and
forest  products  to  other  policies  and  the  impacts
of  other  policies  on  forests  and  forest  products,
the  required
with 
the  aim  of  guaranteeing 
consistency  of  a  holistic  approach 
towards
sustainable  forest  management;

in  order  to  take 

the  need  to  encourage  a  participatory  and  trans(cid:220)
parent  approach  with  all  stakeholders  recog(cid:220)
nising  the  wide  variety  of  ownership  regimes
within  the  Community,  which  necessitates  the
involvement  of  forest  owners;

the  need  for  specific  approaches  and  actions  for
the  different  types  of  forests,  recognising  the
wide  range  of  natural,  social,  economic  and
cultural  conditions  of 
the
Community;

forests 

the 

in 

(m) the  fact  that  this  strategy  is  a  dynamic  process
which  implies  further  discussions  and  activities
along  the  lines  described  above,

COMMUNITY  ACTIONS  CONCERNING  FORESTS  AND
FORESTRY

forest  management,  based  on 

sustainable 
the
economic,  ecological,  social  and  cultural  functions  of
forests,

4.(cid:217)AGREES  that  the  Community  take  part  actively  in
the  implementation  of  the  resolutions  of  the  Minis(cid:220)
terial  Conferences  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in
Europe  and  participate  pro(cid:220)actively  in  international
discussion  and  negotiations  on 
forestry(cid:220)related
issues,  in  particular  in  the  United  Nations  Intergov(cid:220)
ernmental  Forum  on  Forests,

5.(cid:217)CALLS  on  the  Commission  to  undertake  a  review  of
the  measures 
in  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No
3528/86  of  17  November  1986  on  the  protection  of
atmospheric
the  Community’s 
forests 
pollution(cid:216)(˛), 
improve
the  European
continuously 
into
monitoring  system  of  forest  health, 
forest
account 
ecosystems,

in  order 
the  effectiveness  of 

against 
to  evaluate  and 

the  potential 

impacts  on 

taking 

all 

6.(cid:217)ADVOCATES  the  continuation  and  evaluation  of,
and  consideration  of  a  possible  improvement  to  the
Community  scheme  for  the  protection  of  forests
against  fire,  introduced  by  Regulation  (EEC)  No
2158/92(cid:216)(ˇ),  in  view  of  the  positive  impact  it  has  had
on  the  effectiveness  of  prevention  measures  and  of
the  importance  of  coherent  arrangements  to  protect
forests,  and  INVITES  the  Commission  to  pay  special
attention  to  the  development  of  the  Community
information  system,  which  enables  the
forest(cid:220)fire 
effectiveness  of  the  protection  measures  against  fires
to  be  better  assessed,

7.(cid:217)EMPHASISES  the 

importance  of  continued  devel(cid:220)
opment  of  the  European  Forestry  Information  and
Communication  System  established  by  Regulation
(EEC)  No  1615/89(cid:216)(—),  by  improving  the  quality  and
reliability  of  data  on  forests  and,  UNDERLINES  the
value  of  cooperation  with  the  relevant  national  and
international  institutions,

8.(cid:217)CONSIDERS 

that  Community  measures 

the
framework  of  cooperation  with  Central  and  Eastern
Europe  as  well  as  in  the  framework  of  the  Minis(cid:220)
terial  Conferences  on  the  Protection  of  Forests  in
Europe  should  promote  sustainable  management,
conservation  and  sustainable  development  of  forests;

in 

3.(cid:217)EMPHASISES  the  contribution  forests  have  on  the
promotion  of  employment,  well(cid:220)being,  and 
the
in  with  the  concept  of
environment,  which  fits 

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  L  326,  21.11.1986,  p.  2.  Regulation  as  last  amended  by
Regulation  (EC)  No  307/97  (OJ  L  51,  21.2.1997,  p.  9).
(ˇ)(cid:217)OJ  L  217,  31.7.1992,  p.  3.  Regulation  as  amended  by  Regu(cid:220)

lation  (EC)  No  308/97  (OJ  L  51,  21.2.1997,  p.  11).

(—)(cid:217)OJ  L  165,  15.6.1989,  p.  12.

26.2.1999

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  56/3

that 

the  Commission  has  presented  a
NOTES 
proposal  for  a  Council  Regulation  on  Community
support  for  pre(cid:220)accession  measures  for  agriculture
and  rural  development  in  the  applicant  countries  of
Central  and  Eastern  Europe  in  the  pre(cid:220)accession
period  and  that  support  for  agricultural  and  rural
development  may 
alia;
cover 
CONSIDERS  that  the  said  proposal  may  contribute
to  management,  conservation  and  sustainable  devel(cid:220)
opment  of  forests  in  Central  and  Eastern  Europe,

forestry 

inter 

9.(cid:217)NOTES 

that 

in
research  activities  on 
Community  RTD  programmes  help  to  promote  the
sustainable  management  and  multifunctional  role  of
forests  and  the  sustainable  and  multipurpose  utili(cid:220)
sation  of  forest  resources  as  well  as  to  improve
research  potential  and  to  encourage  innovation,

forestry 

10.(cid:217)EMPHASISES  the  benefits  of  effective  coordination
between  different  policy  sectors  which  have  an
influence  on 
forestry,  and  of  coordination  at
Community  level;  EMPHASISES  the  important  role
the  Standing  Forestry  Committee, 
the  Advisory
Committee  on  Forests  and  Cork  and  the  Advisory
Committee  on  Community  policy  regarding  forestry
and  forestry(cid:220)based  industries,  set  up  by  Decision
and
89/367/EEC(cid:216)(˛),  Decision 
Decision  97/837/EC(cid:216)(—)  respectively,  have 
in  this
context,  making  use  of  these  committees  as  ad  hoc
for  all
consultation 
forestry(cid:220)related  activities 
framework  of
existing  Community  policies  such  as  the  Common
Agricultural  Policy 
and  Rural  Development,
Environment,  Trade,  Research,  Internal  Market,
Industry,  Development  Cooperation  and  Energy
policies;  and  CALLS  on  the  Commission  to  present  a
report  to  the  Council  as  soon  as  possible  on  how  to
improve  coordination,

for  a  providing  expertise 
in 

98/235/EC(cid:216)(ˇ), 

the 

in 

should  be 

11.(cid:217)CONSIDERS  that  the  conservation  and  enhancement
their
forests 
of  biodiversity 
appropriate
sustainable  management 
forest
the 
measures 
programmes  or 
the
Member  States  in  line  with  the  pan(cid:220)European  "Work
Programme  on  the  Conservation  and  Enhancement
of  Biological  and  Landscape  Diversity 
in  Forest
Ecosystems  1997(cid:220)2000’;  NOTES  the  added  value

is  essential 
that 
in 
instruments  of 

and 
integrated 

equivalent 

to 

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  L  165,  15.6.1989,  p.  14.
(ˇ)(cid:217)OJ  L  88,  24.3.1998,  p.  59.
(—)(cid:217)OJ  L  346,  17.12.1997,  p.  95.

that  the  Community’s  actions  can  provide  through
the  forestry  measures  inside  rural  development  and
the  forest  protection  measures  as  well  as  by  specific
actions  such  as  research,  conservation  of  genetic
(EC)  No
resources,  pursuant 
1467/94(cid:216)((cid:209))  and  support  for  the  application  of  the
pan(cid:220)European  criteria  and  indicators  for  sustainable
forest  management;  CONSIDERS  that  these  activities
and  this  added  value  contribute  to  the  response  to
the  requested  actionframe  of  the  Community  Biodi(cid:220)
versity  Strategy,

to  Regulation 

12.(cid:217)RECOGNISES  additionally  the  need  for  the  conser(cid:220)
vation  and  protection  of  areas  representative  of  all
types  of  forest  ecosystems  and  of  specific  ecological
interest;  NOTES  the  Community  contribution  to  the
establishment,  through  the  Natura  2000  ecological
network,  of  protected  areas  consisting  of  "Special
Protection  Areas’  and  "Special  Conservation  Areas’
set  up  under  Directives  79/409/EEC(cid:216)((cid:210))  and
92/43/EEC(cid:216)((cid:211))  taking  into  account  economic,  social
and  cultural  requirements,  regional  and  local  charac(cid:220)
teristics  and  the  involvement  of  forest  owners,

13.(cid:217)HOLDS  that  the  role  of  forests  as  carbon  sinks  and
reservoirs  within  the  European  Union  can  be  best
ensured  through  sustainable  forest  management  and
that  the  contribution  to  the  European  Union  and
Member  States’ 
in
accordance  with  the  Kyoto  Protocol,  and  can  best
be  achieved  through  the  protection  and  enhancement
of  existing  carbon  stocks,  the  establishment  of  new
carbon  stocks  and  encouragement  of  the  use  of
biomass  and  wood(cid:220)based  products,

strategies, 

climate 

change 

14.(cid:217)CONSIDERS 

and 

that 

forest(cid:220)based
forestry 
commercial  activities  fall  within  the  open  sector  of
the  economy  and  that  their  commercial  functions
should  be  guided  primarily  by  market  forces;  NOTES
that  the  Community  has  established  a  number  of
instruments  to  ensure  that  competition  functions
effectively,

15.(cid:217)EMPHASISES  that  priority  must  be  given  to  the
improvement  of  public  and  consumer  opinion

((cid:209))(cid:217)OJ  L  159,  28.6.1994,  p.  1.
((cid:210))(cid:217)OJ  L  103,  25.4.1979,  p.  1.  Directive  as  last  amended  by

Directive  97/49/EC  (OJ  L  223,  13.8.1997,  p.  9).

((cid:211))(cid:217)OJ  L  206,  22.7.1992,  p.  7.  Directive  as  last  amended  by

Directive  97/62/EC  (OJ  L  305,  8.11.1997,  p.  42).

C  56/4

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Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

26.2.1999

about  forestry  and  forest  products,  assuring  them
that  forests  are  managed  sustainably,  noting  that
are  market(cid:220)based
schemes 
forest 
certification 
instruments  which 
improve  consumer
to 
seek 
environmental  qualities  of
the 
awareness  of 
sustainable  forest  management  and  to  promote  the
use  of  wood  and  forest  products  as  environmentally
friendly  and  renewable  raw  materials,  and  that  forest
certification  schemes  should  be  comparable  and  the
performance  indicators  should  be  compatible  with
internationally  agreed  principles  of  sustainable  forest
management  principles  and,  furthermore,  that  they
should  comply  with  conditions 
their
voluntary  nature,  credibility,  transparency,  cost  effi(cid:220)
ciency, 
non(cid:220)discriminatory
character  with  respect  to  forest  types  and  owners,
and  considering  that  one  essential  point  in  ensuring
credibility  should  be  the  independent  audit  of  forest
management;  INVITES  the  Commission  to  consider
the  possibility  for  further  action  at  European  Union
level,

regarding 

access 

open 

and 

implement 

to 
this  Resolution;
the  guidelines  of 
AGREES  that  all  common  measures  affecting  forests
and  forest  products  should  be  in  line  with  the  aims
and  recommendations  of  this  Forestry  Strategy,

17.(cid:217)NOTES  that  the  Commisison  intends  to  present

-(cid:217)a  communication  to  the  European  Parliament
and  the  Council  on  the  competitiveness  of  the
forest(cid:220)based  industries,

-(cid:217)a 

proposal 

Council  Directive
66/404/EEC  of  14  June  1966  on  the  marketing
of  forest  reproductive  material(cid:216)(ˇ);

revising 

-(cid:217)a 

specific  communication 

the  European
Parliament  and  the  Council  shortly  on  forestry
development  cooperation,

to 

16.(cid:217)RECOGNISES  that  the  existing  forestry  measures  as
well  as  a  chapter  specially  dedicated  to  forestry
inside  the  proposed  Regulation  on  rural  development
the  Agenda  2000(cid:216)(˛)  could  provide  a  basis
in 

18.(cid:217)INVITES  the  Commission  to  report  to  the  Council
implementation  of  this  Forestry  Strategy

on  the 
within  five  years.

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  C  170,  4.6.1998,  p.  67.

(ˇ)(cid:217)OJ  125,  11.7.1966,  p.  2326.  Directive  as  last  amended  by  the

1994  Act  of  Accession.