Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on 'The European Union's Forestry Strategy'
Date: 1999-12-09
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: European Union, environmental policy, forestry policy, principle of subsidiarity

23.2.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 51/97

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on ‘The European Union’s Forestry Strategy’

(2000/C 51/23)

On 29 April 1999 the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 23(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
decided to draw up an additional opinion on ‘The European Union’s Forestry Strategy’.

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible for
preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 16 November 1999. The
rapporteur was Mr Kallio and the co-rapporteur Mr Wilms.

At its 368th plenary session on 8 and 9 December 1999 (meeting of 9 December), the Economic and
Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 53 votes to seven, with seven abstentions.

1.

Introduction

On 5 October 1999 the Commission adopted a
1.1.6.
communication on ‘The state of the competitiveness of the EU
forest-based and related industries’.

1.1. From the own-initiative opinion of the Economic and Social

Committee to an EU forestry strategy

1.1.1.
The European Commission published a communi-
cation on EU forestry strategy on 18 November 1998 in
response to an own-initiative report by the European Parlia-
ment. On 15 December 1998 the Council of Ministers adopted
a resolution on EU forestry strategy based on the Commission
communication.

1.1.2.
The European Parliament drafted the so-called
Thomas Report of 31 January 1997 on EU forestry strategy,
taking advantage for the first time of the right provided by
Article 138b of the Treaty to draft own-initiative reports. In its
report, the Parliament asked the Commission to draw up a
proposal for an EU forestry strategy.

1.1.3.
On 24 April 1997 the Economic and Social Com-
mittee adopted an own-initiative opinion (1) on the situation
and problems of forestry in the European Union and the
potential for developing forestry policies.

On 19 November 1997 the Committee of

1.1.4.
the
Regions adopted an opinion (2) on the management, use and
protection of forests in the EU.

It

The Commission adopted its Agenda 2000 report
1.1.5.
in July 1997.
included comprehensive reforms to the
development of EU funding for the years 2000-2006, reform
of the agricultural policy, as well as reform of both structural
and regional policy. In March 1998 the Commission adopted
the draft legislation for Agenda 2000 and the package was
approved at the Berlin Summit on 26 March 1999. In this
document forests are dealt with under the Regulation on Rural
Development.

1.2. The EU and international forestry policy

1.2.1.
During the 1990s the European forestry debate has
focused mainly on defining and implementing the principles
of sustainable forestry. At the 1993 pan-European Ministerial
Conference in Helsinki, Resolution H1 defined sustainable
forest management as: ‘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
systems’. Forestry must be practised in a way which is
economically, ecologically and biologically and socially and
culturally sustainable. The EU has also been actively involved
in developing international forestry policy. The principles
of sustainable development and sustainable forestry were
established by the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The forestry
principles adopted at Rio have proved to be extremely
important in recent years, even though they are not legally
binding. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United
Nations (FAO) has also proved to be an important forum for
international forestry policy.

1.2.2.
Since Rio, European countries have held three minis-
terial conferences on the protection of forests (3) to promote
implementation of the documents approved at Rio. This
pan-European process is ongoing. Since the Ministerial Confer-
ence held in Helsinki, European criteria and indicators for
sustainable forestry have been agreed upon which encompass
the basic elements of sustainable forestry, including economic,
environmental, social and cultural factors.

(1) OJ C 206, 7.7.1997.
(2) OJ C 64, 27.2.1998.

(3) Ministerial conferences: Strasbourg 1990, Helsinki 1993 and

Lisbon 1998.

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1.2.3.
The international forestry debate continued from
1995 to 1997 in the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF),
the work of which will be continued until the year 2000 by
the Intergovernmental Forestry Forum (IFF). One of the most
important tasks of the IFF process is to reach agreement on an
international, legally binding instrument. Such an instrument
has a key role to play as it does not make sense to resolve
sustainable forestry issues, such as trade, the environment and
funding, in a separate and fragmented way. The EU’s forestry
strategy also states that the Community supports the establish-
ment of a global and legally binding instrument, which
addresses the management, conservation and sustainable
development of every kind of forest.

1.2.4.
Other imminent challenges for forestry policy at
both the European and international level include the role
played by forests in controlling climate change and the
promotion of credible forest certification systems.

During the enlargement negotiations,

it must be
1.2.5.
guaranteed that forestry in the Central and East European
Countries (the so-called CEEC countries) is conducted in a
long-term economically, environmentally, biologically, socially
and culturally sustainable way, and that, in this sense, the EU’s
forestry strategy is also implemented by these countries.

2. The European Union’s forestry strategy

2.1. Sustainable forestry and national forestry policies as a starting

point

2.1.1.
The starting point of the EU’s forestry strategy is
the subsidiarity principle. This means that the sustainable
management and use of
forests are the responsibility of
national forestry programmes and policies. The EU does not,
therefore, have a common forestry policy along the lines of its
common agricultural policy. As the Council of Ministers states
in its resolution, forestry and commercial activity related to
forests should remain market-based (point 14).

It is extremely important that forestry strategy be
2.1.2.
based on the concept of sustainable forest management
as defined in 1993 by the above-mentioned pan-European
ministerial conference on the protection of forests. Sustainable
forestry consists of a balanced combination of ecological,
economic, social and cultural activities.

2.1.3.
Although the forestry strategy is a very welcome
document, it leaves open, inter alia, the question of how the
forestry strategy will be implemented in the short- and
long-term. The only indication of concrete measures is made
in Agenda 2000. In addition, the strategy lacks clear assess-
ments and analyses of existing measures as well as any vision
for the future. Nor does it propose any concrete measures for
solving current problems — instead it does little more than
list existing EU forestry sector measures.

2.1.4.
Some of the proposals made by the Committee in its
earlier own-initiative opinion (1) have been incorporated into
the forestry strategy. However, the opinion argued that to
safeguard the interests of the EU’s forestry sector,
it was
necessary among other things for all Community policies to
take account of their impact on the forestry sector. The EU
also needs to substantially improve the coordination of EU
forestry-related matters. These proposals have not been taken
into account in the forestry strategy.

2.2. Added value from EU-level measures

2.2.1.
Although the subsidiarity principle should be retai-
ned when forestry issues are being considered, EU-level
cooperation can also be of benefit if Community-level action
contributes added value to national measures. The involvement
the Community in the forestry strategy is viewed as
of
beneficial to rural development measures, protecting forests
from air pollution and forest
the development of
information and communication systems on forestry, research
and development, and development cooperation, inter alia.
Subjects of special concern to forestry include maintenance of
the biological diversity of forests, promotion of the use of
wood as a renewable natural resource and as an environmen-
tally friendly energy source, preventing climate change, and
forest certification compatible with European circumstances.

fires,

2.2.2.
The participation of the EU in international cooper-
level will also
ation at both the pan-European and global
contribute essential added value by complementing national
measures.

2.2.3.
The EU’s forestry strategy does not address issues
concerning the forestry industry , as the Commission’s direc-
torate-general for enterprise has issued its own communi-
cation (2) on the European forestry industry and on improving
its competitiveness. In the Committee’s view it is, however,
important for forestry and the forestry industry to coordinate
their work in the forestry sector. This is the most effective way
of promoting the use of wood and other forestry products,
such as cork and resin as renewable and environmentally-
friendly natural resources and materials from both the econ-
omic and environmental point of view. An example of the
added value which could result from such cooperation would
be the drawing up of a publicity or information programme,
which would enable a wider public to be informed about the
use of renewable natural forest resources as a way of enhancing
people’s well-being. One possible campaign of this kind would
be to organise an EU year of forestry.

(1) OJ C 206, 7.7.1997.
(2) The state of the competitiveness of the EU forest-based and related

industries, 5.10.1999, COM (1999) 457.

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2.2.4.
To ensure that sustainable forestry serves as the basis
for a competitive European forestry industry, forestry must
also be an economically viable activity. International trade in
timber should also respect the principles of sustainable forestry
and profitability.

2.2.5.
The forestry sector is a particularly important source
of economic prosperity and employment in the EU. The
forestry industry alone employs roughly 5 million people. As
a consequence, the EU should seek to improve the general
environment in which the forestry sector operates and to
ensure that forestry continues to play an important role as an
employer in rural areas in the future. The development of
forestry sector services and ensuring the right conditions for
the development of the industry are therefore of fundamental
importance. The significance of forestry as an employer is not
limited to the wood-processing sector, but also includes
biological production on forested land and the non-wood
products of forests. Furthermore, forestry provides work for
tree-fellers and other workers. One-sided measures which
result in job losses should be avoided. In addition, support
should be provided for measures which create new jobs and
which also provide retraining for a skilled workforce.

2.3. Future challenges to forestry in the EU

2.3.1.
In the European Union 65 % of forest land is privately
owned and there are 12 million individual forest owners. The
crucial role of family forestry is not always given sufficient
attention in the European debate on forestry. Coordination
between individual forest owners is an important instrument
for achieving a balance between supply and demand in the
timber market. The Committee assumes that the application
of EU competition rules will allow such coordination through-
out the Member States. Forestry is economically important to
many family forest owners. The economic importance of
forests and for example, the effectiveness of timber markets
have not been emphasised sufficiently in the forestry strategy.
In addition, in many EU countries a few large multinational
companies dominate the market. It is important to remember
that economically viable forestry also helps to maintain
diversity, as well as social and cultural sustainability. Suf-
ficiently profitable forestry helps to ensure that all aspects of
sustainable forestry are taken into account. This means that
part of the price of wood as a raw material is redirected back
into maintaining the ecological and social balance of forests.
Non-wood forest products such as cork, mushrooms and
berries are also important sources of revenue.

2.3.2.
The EU’s forestry strategy should provide more
explicit support for the smooth functioning and promotion of
trade in wood and processed wood products in line with the
principles of sustainable forestry. These basic starting points
must be taken into account in the WTO negotiations on world
trade which are about to start. The same objectives must also

be taken into account in the EU’s development cooperation
policy in the forestry sector.

2.3.3.
The Committee welcomes the fact that the forestry
strategy seeks to improve coordination of forestry matters
within the Community. However, genuinely concrete pro-
posals on improving cooperation are lacking. The resolution
of the Council of Ministers also emphasises the benefits which
can be gained from effective cooperation. At present the
Commission has a number of departments specialising in
forestry issues, which means that these are dealt with in a very
fragmented way across various Commission directorates-
general. In the external relations DG forestry issues are dealt
with from the EU’s external relations perspective,
in the
enterprise DG from the industry perspective, in the compe-
tition DG from the competition perspective, in the employ-
ment and social affairs DG from the employment perspective,
in the agriculture DG from the agricultural and rural develop-
ment perspective, in the development cooperation DG from
the development cooperation perspective, in the environment
DG from the environmental perspective, in the research DG
from the research perspective, in the regional policy DG from
the regional policy perspective, and in the energy DG from the
energy perspective.

However,

2.3.4.
implementation of the forestry strategy
alone would require greater involvement in the forestry sector
and more effective cooperation between existing players in
order to ensure that sustainable development in forestry related
matters is managed in an integrated manner. In addition, the
number of issues on which the Commission requires forestry
expertise has grown considerably during the 1990s. As a result
the Rio de Janeiro Conference on Environment and
of
Development, forestry and environmental policy have taken
on a more international dimension than before. This trend is
growing as the issues of biodiversity and climate change weigh
increasingly heavily in decisions on forestry policy.

The Council of Ministers also emphasises

2.3.5.
the
important consultative role played by the Standing Forestry
Committee, the consultative committees on forestry and cork
production and on Community forest clusters, whose expertise
can be used to the benefit of all forestry measures within the
framework of the Community’s existing policies. The last two
committees can also help to ensure that all viewpoints are
heard and incorporated in the decision-making processes.
These committees must be given adequate resources.

The forestry sectors of

2.3.6.
the Central and Eastern
European applicant countries are in need of Community
support to manage, conserve and ensure the long-term sus-
tainable development of
forestry. Among the matters of
concern are ensuring that forestry respects environmental
considerations, and developing an ownership structure for
forest resources. The Community should provide support for
private forest ownership where reasonable, as well as improv-
ing the institutional ability of the forestry sector to promote
sustainable forestry. Equally, the considerable job creation
potential of the forestry sector should be exploited.

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2.3.7.
In ten of the CEEC countries the forest surface area
amounts to approximately 34 million hectares. This would
increase the EU’s current forest area by about a quarter. In
addition these countries are planning to reforest a total of
about 1,5-2 million hectares over an extended time period.
Poland and Hungary in particular have ambitious forestry
objectives. It is estimated that about a third of the forest
surface area in the CEEC countries will be privatised, which
would create some 3-4 million new private forest holdings.
This would increase the number of private forest holdings in
the EU from 12 to 16 million.

2.3.8.
The main forestry policy objectives for the CEEC
countries at present include forming associations of forest
owners, training forest owners and workers and improving
their skills, and increasing forestry efficiency. The multipurpose
use of forests and in particular improving ecological and
biological sustainability are also important aims. In the CEEC
countries as much as several tens of per cent of forest have
suffered from air pollution. EU programmes can be used to
achieve these objectives. The Sapard regulation (1) can be used
to provide support for forestry management and afforestation
in agricultural regions, investment in private forestry estates,
and the processing and marketing of forestry products.

2.3.9.
The development of forestry and other wood-based
business activity will come up against structural problems, as
private ownership and related structures still need to be
established. In the CEEC countries action plans aimed at the
forestry sector have already been drawn up and support funds
for promoting private forestry are currently being developed.
Reaping the benefits of EU forestry support depends to a large
extent on national funding which is very limited in some
countries.

The rapid economic growth expected in CEEC
2.3.10.
countries represents both an opportunity and a threat for the
current Member States. On the one hand their markets are
undergoing rapid growth, but on the other, the new Member
States may cause a mild shock in the EU’s wood market and
labour-intensive mechanical wood/timber industry as timber
prices and labour costs are still low for the time being in the
CEEC countries. However, raising the degree of processing of
forestry industry products, the standardisation of products
and the exploitation of new technology pose considerable
challenges for the CEEC countries in the near future. Costs are
also expected to rise.

Commission’s Agenda 2000 proposal. In Agenda 2000 for-
estry is dealt with under the Regulation on Rural Development.
Indeed, forests are important to rural areas and this must be
taken into account if rural areas are to be developed in a
harmonious way. The forestry sector is a particularly important
source of employment for rural areas. Forestry and small- and
medium-sized forestry industry companies are particularly
important for ensuring that rural areas maintain their econ-
omic vitality. On questions relating to rural development the
Commission’s directorate-general for agriculture is assisted by
the Star Committee, in which the Member States’ forestry
experts are not represented unless they are invited to meetings
individually. This exacerbates the above-mentioned concern
about the lack of an integrated approach to forestry issues, as
well as the inadequate coordination of forestry matters.

2.4.2.
The Commission’s forestry support measures have
until now lacked comprehensive mechanisms to evaluate how,
and how much, Community money has been spent on
supporting forestry. Nor is there any precise information on
whether this support has helped to promote the stated
objectives. Nevertheless, the paragraphs on forestry in Agenda
2000 open up new possibilities for using Community support.

2.4.3.
The general objective is that support should promote
the development of the economic, ecological and social status
forestry in rural regions. A significant change is that
of
forestry on
there are now more possibilities to support
non-agricultural land. Environmental protection and nature
conservation have also been given greater legitimacy as a basis
for receiving forestry support. Furthermore, the paragraphs on
forestry enable conventional forestry — in other words forest
management and felling measures — to receive more explicit
support.

2.4.4.
The potential recipients of forestry support have
been increased, and now include both local authorities as well
as associations of forest owners. Before the EU enlarges to
central and eastern Europe, the EU should work out how the
forestry sectors of these countries are to be integrated into
EU’s arrangements.

2.4. Agenda 2000

2.4.1.
legal

The forestry strategy states that the Community’s
framework for forestry is based essentially on the

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1268/1999 of 21 June 1999, OJ

L 244, 16.9.1999, p. 64.

2.4.5.
Efforts should be made to use the EU’s common
funds as cost effectively as possible. Furthermore, point 14 of
the Council resolution on forestry states that forestry and
commercial forestry activity should be guided primarily by
market forces. The Commission must ensure that the forestry
support provided by Agenda 2000 does not distort compe-
tition in forestry product markets at either the regional or EU
level.

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3. Kyoto Protocol — Climate change and forests

A United Nations climate agreement aimed at pre-
3.1.
venting climate change was also signed in Rio de Janeiro in
1992. Its objective is to stabilise the greenhouse gas content in
the atmosphere in order to prevent dangerous disruptions to
the weather system as a result of human activity. The
agreement entered into force in 1994. The Kyoto Protocol,
which builds on the climate agreement, was approved in 1997.
The EU signed the protocol in April 1998. The Kyoto Protocol
commits industrial and developing countries to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce the overall level
of emissions by an average of at least 5 % in comparison to
1990 emission levels. The EU’s emission reduction level was
set at 8 % compared to the 1990 level. Member States’
environmental ministers (Luxembourg 16-17 June 1998) have
reached agreement on a so-called EU bubble, within which
Member States decide on how to divide the emissions
reductions. The emission reduction commitments must be
achieved by 2008-2012,
in other words during the first
commitment period. According to the European Environmen-
tal Agency, present efforts to achieve the emissions reduction
commitments are not sufficient, which means that the EU
needs to improve the effectiveness of its emissions reduction
measures in all relevant areas.

3.2.
Carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas.
Because forests harness carbon as they grow, and therefore
function as carbon sinks, forests also play a fundamental role
in climate policy. Carbon is contained in the soil as well as in
timber. For example in Finland the amount of carbon contained
in the soil is estimated to be almost ten times the amount
bound in growing stock. As stated in the EU’s forestry strategy,
forests can have an impact on the quantity of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere by protecting existing carbon stores and
carbon sinks, by expanding forest area, by replacing fossil fuels
with wood from sustainably managed forests, and by replacing
products made from non-renewable raw materials with wood
products. Wood products, which harness carbon for long
periods, are important for meeting the emission reduction
requirements.

3.3.
The way in which the EU wishes to rise to the challenge
posed by climate change is by supporting the use of renewable
energy sources. The objective is to double renewable energy
sources as a share of the total energy produced in the EU from
the current 6 per cent to 12 per cent by the year 2010. This
requires a considerable increase in the use of biomass in
energy production. The proportion of bioenergy in the new,
forest-rich Member States (in Austria, Sweden and Finland) is
already quite large (12 %, 18 % and 23 %) (1).

The European Commission has also drafted a com-

3.4.
munication on implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol is restricted to studying carbon
3.5.
sinks, which result
from human-related changes in land
use and forestry including afforestation, reforestation and

(1) Source: COM(97) 599 final, 26.11.1997.

deforestation. Only action taken since 1990 will be taken into
account. These restrictions do not take into account the
principles of sustainable forestry nor the long-term time span
which is characteristic of forestry.

3.6.
At Kyoto it was decided to exclude the question of
harvesting from the study. Other excluded issues include
products made from wood, even though they clearly also
contribute to long-term carbon storage. When forest owners
harvest wood, the Kyoto protocol counts the carbon stored in
the forest as being released as soon as a harvest takes place.
In practice, however, complying with sustainable forestry
principles ensures that the carbon balance in forests remains
stable over the long-term. When wood is harvested, the carbon
is transferred to forestry industry products.

3.7.
A great deal remains to be done in implementing the
Kyoto Protocol. One extremely significant problem concerns
the definitions of different concepts. So far the obligations
imposed by the protocol on the forestry sector should not, on
the whole, present any interpretation problems.

current

situation,

In order

to clarify the

3.8.
the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is currently
preparing an expert report on issues relating to carbon sinks
in the Kyoto Protocol. This report — IPCC special report on
land use, land use change and forestry — should be completed
by spring 2000. The report is expected to contain a sector-wide
overview of carbon sinks and sources.

3.9.
The Kyoto protocol contains three so-called flexibility
mechanisms: international emission trading, joint implemen-
tation and the clean development mechanism. The emission
reduction objectives can be met either by national measures or
by exploiting these Kyoto mechanisms. Joint implementation
means a situation in which an industrial country invests in a
project to reduce emissions in another developed country and
then obtains the benefit from this emission reduction. The
clean development mechanism allows industry and developing
countries to carry out emission reduction projects between
them. The details of implementing the flexibility mechanism
will be specified more clearly in the expert report of the IPPC.
It is not yet clear, for example, whether emission trading
should be restricted. It must be ensured that timber plants
located by forestry industry companies in developing countries
do not, as a result of public or other similar support, distort
competition in wood markets in the future.

4. Forest certification

4.1. Basic principles of forest certification

4.1.1.
Throughout the 1990s the forestry sector has had to
face the shifting challenges posed by the question of sustainable
development. Since the beginning of the decade, one response
to these challenges has been to set up various kinds of
market-based, voluntary certification systems.

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4.1.2.
Forest certification is defined as a procedure in which
an independent third party awards a certificate attesting that a
forest is being managed and used sustainably in accordance
with agreed standards. Forestry certification will help to inform
consumers and customers whether the products they buy have
been produced from wood which comes from sustainably
managed and used forests. Certification is a market-based way
of promoting sustainable forestry as well as a way of satisfying
the needs of customers. When forest certification systems are
set up, the principles of voluntariness, credibility, openness,
cost-effectiveness and non-discrimination must be respected.

4.1.3.
The sustainable use of forests has a long tradition in
Europe. A stringent legislative framework and a very wide
range of forestry policy tools are the best way of ensuring
the sustainable management and use of forests in different
countries. In Europe, forest certification can at most enable
consumers to be active in demanding that the market provide
products made from wood emanating from sustainably man-
aged forests. Certification therefore promotes sustainable for-
estry and, as a corollary, the marketing of wood products.

4.1.4.
The EU has an important role to play in promoting
the use of wood and other forestry products over other
competing materials. Sustainable forestry will help to prevent
wood products from being substituted with less environmen-
tally friendly materials such as aluminium or plastic. Many
consumers do not associate the use of plastic with oil drilling
or with mining for the steel industry, which means that their
environmental impact is not necessarily appreciated.

4.2. Existing forest certification systems

4.2.1.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an inter-
national body set up by environmental organisations in
1993 in Mexico. The FSC is comprised of three chambers
representing economic, social and environmental
interests.
The FSC does not issue certificates itself, instead it promotes
the sustainable principles and criteria defined by the FSC and
the use of local forestry standards. It also accredits certification
bodies and monitors their work as well as use of the FSC mark.
The FSC has played a key role in the worldwide development
of forestry certification.

In addition, the pan-European forest certification
4.2.2.
project (PEFC) was set up in August 1998, based on the
resolutions of the Helsinki 1993 and Lisbon 1998 meetings of
European forestry ministers. The objective of the PEFC is to
establish an internationally credible forest certification system
for the certification systems of different countries and their
mutual recognition. The PEFC defines and lays down the basic

requirements and working methods which must be achieved
through the standards of each country’s certification system in
order to be included in the PEFC system. The certification
system seeks to establish a system which is suitable for small-
and medium-sized family forestry.

Representatives of family forestry,

4.2.3.
local authority
and state forestry, the forestry industry and trade drawn from
17 countries have all been involved in developing the system.
The USA, Canada, Malaysia and Australia have also participated
in the process as observers. Environmental and consumer
organisations as well as trade unions have been invited to take
part in an open discussion with PEFC representatives. The
PEFC system started operation in June 1999. It also seeks to
improve the contribution of the forestry sector to employment.

4.3. The role of the EU in forest certification

4.3.1.
Forest certification is also mentioned in the EU’s
forestry strategy as one of the specific themes with regard to
forests. The forestry strategy states, for example, that the
Commission supports
the above-
mentioned pan-European forest certification system.

the development of

4.3.2.
Cooperation on forest certification can also be
undertaken at EU level if desired by the Member States. The
rapid progress of the pan-European forest certification system
the European forestry sector is keen to
has shown that
undertake cooperation to promote sustainable forestry and the
marketing of wood products. The EU should ensure that the
certification systems in use within the EU comply with the
principles of free trade and that they are transparent and
impartial. Forestry certification systems will only have a
realistic chance of market success if they win the approval of
consumers and other interested parties.

5. Conclusions

5.1.
The Committee regrets that the EU’s forestry strategy
does not contain sufficient concrete assessments and analyses
of the existing Community measures and problems in the
forestry sector. The Committee also calls for clearer objectives
for the future which take into account the EU’s eastward
enlargement and other developments affecting the forestry
sector.

5.2.
The Committee welcomes the fact that the forestry
strategy is based on the subsidiarity principle as well as the
concept of economically, ecologically and biologically, and
socially and culturally sustainable forestry.

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5.3.
The Committee recalls that the forestry sector is an
important source of employment in the EU. Indeed, the EU
should promote both the implementation of the forestry
strategy and the use of wood and other forestry products as a
renewable and environmentally friendly material in order to
improve the employment situation in the EU. The development
of forestry sector services and ensuring the right conditions
for the development of the industry are particularly important.

5.4.
The Committee feels that it is essential for the European
Commission to play a greater role in the forestry sector in
areas where Community-level action can contribute added
value by reinforcing national measures.

5.5.
The Committee feels it is essential for the Commission
to substantially improve the coordination of forestry issues
between the different directorates-general so that sustainable
development in forestry-related matters is managed in an
integrated manner. The new Commission must substantially
reinforce and activate the management and coordination of
forestry matters, taking into account the rapidly growing
importance of forests as one of the key areas for sustainable
development. The forestry sector is of critical importance to
the economic, social and environmental development of the
EU.

The Committee stresses the beneficial employment
5.6.
effects of the forestry sector, particularly for rural regions.
Sustainable forestry also contributes to the balanced develop-
ment of rural regions.

5.7.
The Committee feels that the European Commission
must ensure that the new support provided for forestry by
Agenda 2000 does not distort competition in regional or
EU-level wood and other forestry product markets. The
Committee calls for the use of this support to be monitored
and for the use of Community funds to be evaluated on a
continuous basis.

The Committee feels that it is important that the
5.8.
communication issued by the Commission’s enterprise direc-
torate-general on the EU’s forestry industry and its competi-
tiveness is compatible with the forestry strategy. For the forest
industry to be competitive, it must be based on profitable and
sustainable forestry.

Brussels, 9 December 1999.

5.9.
The Committee reiterates that the EU must respond to
the climate change requirements at both the national and
Community level, by promoting, for example, the use of
renewable energy sources as well as wood and other forestry
products.

5.10.
The EU must ensure that the principles of sustainable
forestry are complied with when implementing the Kyoto
Protocol. The Committee points out that forestry industry
products function as long-term carbon sinks. The EU should
also inform Member States more effectively about the possi-
bilities for using the flexibility mechanisms.

5.11.
The Committee points out that forest certification is
just one of many ways of achieving sustainable forestry and
thereby promoting the marketing of wood products. The EU
must ensure that the certification systems in use within the EU
respect the principles of free trade and that they are voluntary,
transparent, balanced and cost effective.

5.12.
The Committee calls on the EU to monitor carefully
developments in the forestry industry and related activities in
the CEEC countries and to undertake timely analyses of the
opportunities, threats and challenges which the accession of
the new Member States will bring for the EU. These analyses
must be based on the conclusions of the Helsinki pan-European
Ministerial Conference on the practice of sustainable forestry.

The Committee feels that the EU should provide
5.13.
strong support
legally
for the establishment of a global,
binding instrument for the management, conservation and
sustainable development of every kind of forest, which com-
plies with the forestry principles agreed at Rio.

5.14.
The Committee calls on the EU to participate actively
in the international forestry policy debate and in decision-
making in the IFF negotiations and in FAO.

5.15.
The Committee considers it important for the forth-
coming WTO negotiations to take account of the principles of
sustainable forestry in discussions on international trade in the
forestry sector.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI

C 51/104

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

23.2.2000

APPENDIX

to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee

The following amendments, which received more than a quarter of the votes cast, were defeated in the course of the
debate:

Point 2.2.1

Amend the first sentence as follows:

Although the subsidiarity principle should be retained when forestry issues are being considered, the Committee
nonetheless urges that there be EU-level cooperation to ensure that Community-level action contributes added value
to national measures.

Reason

It is very important that there be as much EU-level cooperation as possible in forestry and this should be expressed
in the text.

Result of the vote

For: 29, against: 30, abstentions: 3.

Point 2.3.7

Delete the third sentence, beginning ‘The Community should provide support ...’ and replace it with the following
text:

It is very important that there be on-going incentives for sustainable forestry. Given that the management of forests
is in the hands of private individuals, government and other nature protection organisations, it is important to set up
a framework within the EU for discussion of responsible forestry management.

It would be more appropriate for the final sentence of point 2.3.7 to be made a separate point.

Reason

It is not for the EU to say that private forest ownership should be supported. There is a place for other organisations
concerned with responsible forest management alongside the private sector.

Result of the vote

For: 27, against: 35, abstentions: 2.