Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation concerning monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the Community (Forest Focus)" (COM(2002) 404 final — 2002/0164 (COD))
Date: 2002-12-12
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU action, environmental monitoring, financing, forest, forest conservation, information system, international cooperation

8.4.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 85/83

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a European
Parliament and Council Regulation concerning monitoring of forests and environmental
interactions in the Community (Forest Focus)’

(COM(2002) 404 final — 2002/0164 (COD))

(2003/C 85/20)

On 26 July 2002 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 175 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

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 13 November 2002. The
rapporteur was Mr Kallio.

At its 395th plenary session on 11 and 12 December 2002 (meeting of 12 December), the Economic and
Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 98 votes to one, with eight abstentions.

1. Content of the regulation

1.1.
The purpose of the Commission’s proposal for a
European Parliament and Council Regulation is the establish-
ment of a new Community scheme on monitoring of forests
and environmental interactions to protect the Community’s
forests.

1.2.
The scheme builds on the achievements of two pre-
vious Council Regulations on monitoring the impacts of
atmospheric pollution [(EEC) No 3528/86] and forest fires
[(EEC) No 2158/92] on forest ecosystems (1). The Commission
proposes broadening the scope of the regulation so that in
future the monitoring activities covered by the regulation will
also address forest biodiversity, soils, climate change and
carbon sequestration.

1.3.
The Commission justifies the new regulation on the
grounds that the proposed monitoring elements are all related
to key priorities in the 6th Environmental Action Programme
and the Sustainable Development Strategy. EU strategies
need better information to identify the nature of risks and
uncertainties, so as to provide a basis for solutions and further
policy decisions. The Commission proposes Article 175 of the
Treaty establishing the European Community as the legal basis
for the regulation.

1.4.
The scheme will run for six years, from the beginning
of 2003 until the end of 2008. An amount of EUR 13 million
will be allocated annually for monitoring the effects of air
pollution and forest fires on forests, developing new monitor-
ing activities and improving the scheme.

Under the proposed regulation, co-financing will be
1.5.
provided up to 50 % of
the eligible costs arising from
monitoring activity and database platforms and for studies,
experiments and demonstration projects carried out under
Member States’ national programmes. The Commission will
finance its own activities, such as coordination and evaluation
work, studies, experiments and demonstration projects.

2. The existing framework

2.1. The content of sustainable forestry and national powers

According to the EU forestry strategy (2)‘... the overall
2.1.1.
objective should ... be to strengthen sustainable forest develop-
ment 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 the Protection of
Forests’ that is ‘... the stewardship and use of forests and forest
lands in such 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
‘... This approach should be defined in and
ecosystems’.
implemented through national or subnational forest pro-
grammes 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’.

( 1) EESC opinion, OJ C 80, 3.4.2002, p. 45.

(2) COM(98) 649 final of 18.11.1998 (not published in the OJEC);

Committee opinion, OJ C 51, 23.2.2000, pp. 97-104.

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2.1.2.
The starting point of the forestry strategy is the
subsidiarity principle. This means that responsibility for for-
estry policy and the sustainable use, management and protec-
tion of forests lies with Member States. It is important that
Member States have as much autonomy as possible with
regard to sustainable forestry as this makes it possible to treat
forests as an integrated whole, encompassing social and
economic aspects as well as ecological considerations. By
respecting national powers in this area, differences in the social
importance of forestry in individual Member States and local
and regional variations in forest ecosystems and species can be
better taken into account. For its part, the Community plays a
harmonising and coordinating role where needed and within
the scope of its competences, as in the case of environmental
policy, rural development or protection of biodiversity, for
example.

Biological Diversity adopted the Expanded Work Programme
for Forest Biological Diversity. The expanded work programme
the conservation and management of forest
stresses that
biological diversity is an element of the implementation
of national forest policy and that national authorities are
responsible for monitoring implementation. According to a
study (1), the implementation and monitoring of programmes
on biological diversity have been accorded high or medium
priority in virtually all countries. Nearly all the countries which
took part in the study already have a biodiversity or equivalent
programme. National priorities and regional and national
needs and specific features must be taken into account in
implementing the work programme. The implementation of
action programmes is to be monitored at national level and
countries will submit reports to the Conferences of the Parties.

2.2.

Existing monitoring activities

2.2.1.
Data on biological diversity and carbon sequestration
in biomass are already collected and reported within the
international agreements and inter-
framework of several
national and national
inventories. These include the FAO’s
(Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations)
Forest Resources Assessment Programme (FRA), the pan-
European Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests
in Europe (MCPFE),
international agreements such as the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
national forest inventories.

2.2.2.
The FAO started to monitor the state of the world’s
forests through assessments of forest resources as long ago as
1946 and publishes reports on them every few years. In
addition to data on forest resources, the assessments contain
data on the carbon cycle, the health of the forest ecosystem,
biodiversity,
forest products and protection impacts. The
country reports also contain data on the socio-economic
functions of forests.

2.2.3.
In the context of the pan-European Ministerial Con-
ferences (MCPFE), six pan-European criteria have been estab-
lished as points of reference for monitoring the implemen-
tation of sustainable forestry. Each criterion is defined in terms
of qualitative and quantitative indicators. On the basis of these,
European countries have developed national systems for
monitoring sustainable forestry. Many stakeholders have util-
ised the pan-European criteria and indicators in their own
definitions of sustainable forestry and in monitoring.

2.2.5.
The parties to the Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) are required to carry out national greenhouse gas
inventories in which each country estimates, lists, reports and
regularly updates anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse
gases by sources and removals by sinks. Climate policy
measures related to forestry [Land-use, land-use change and
forestry (LULUCF)] are bound up with both countries’ climate
strategies and national forest programmes.

National

In recent years the scope of

forest resource inventories are used to
2.2.6.
gather data on forest resources, the condition of forests, soil
and flora.
forest resource
inventories has been broadened to include monitoring of
biodiversity and the collection of data on carbon stored in
trees and the soil. The data collected include e.g. actual data on
biodiversity or data on factors contributing to biodiversity,
such as understorey vegetation, the range of species and the
nutrient quality of soil. In the above-mentioned study, Fischer
notes that countries obtain the data they need for monitoring
their biodiversity programmes mainly from national forest
inventories.

2.3.

Standing Forestry Committee

2.3.1.
The task of the Standing Forestry Committee, which
was set up by Council Decision (89/367/EEC) of 29 May 1989,
is to promote cooperation between the Commission and the
Member States in the field of forestry and to support forestry
policy measures taken in the framework of the Community
policies relating to the regulation on rural development.

2.2.4.
At its sixth meeting held in The Hague in spring
2002, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on

(1) Fischer, R., Overview on national biodiversity monitoring activities
within some EU/ICP Forest countries, Draft 7 October 2002.

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The aim of the Committee is to enhance the exchange of
information on the state and development of forestry in
Member States and, in particular, to inform the Commission
on how Community policies affect the forest sector. The
Committee is composed of representatives from the Members
States and chaired by a representative of the Commission.

3. Comments

3.1.
Forests play an important role in climate regulation, in
combating pollution, erosion, flooding or avalanches and
landslides and for regulating water resources. They also provide
a rich biological environment. They are a key asset, both in
environmental and economic terms, because, if well managed,
they provide sustainable renewable resources. The forms of
forest ownership are varied, but the functions of the forest
environment are useful enough to society to warrant protec-
tion, and the exploitation of resources must be carefully
regulated to promote rural development and the general
interest. It is up to the relevant authorities to take appropriate
technical and regulatory measures to achieve this, whether it
be to prevent forest fires, soil acidification (1) or the depletion of
biodiversity, and any other threats to this specific environment
which, over thousands of years, has been increasingly affected
by human activity as new tools and techniques have been used
to exploit it.

is important

The Committee feels it

to develop
3.2.
resources for studying and monitoring the forest environment
according to the specific situation in each Member State, and
to coordinate the information collected so it can be used more
rationally to benefit the Community strategy (2). It welcomes
the Commission’s proposals, subject to the following com-
ments and proposals.

It is important to develop and continue the present
3.3.
programmes based on the regulations on protecting forests
against atmospheric pollution and forest fires in operation for
over
the
data collected to keep the main structural elements of the
programmes unchanged.

for the comparability of

ten years.

is vital

It

Developing the monitoring of forest biodiversity, car-
3.4.
bon sequestration, soils and the effects of climate change
involves tasks which are different from the continuation and

development of present schemes, but which are complemen-
tary, refer to the same environment and potentially build on
the resources and methods already in place. There is no doubt
that air pollution (3) and soil acidification are the most serious
environmental problems facing forests in the Community and
the candidate countries, and that, also in order to comply with
international commitments on climate, greenhouse gases and
biodiversity, such matters should be addressed jointly at
national
level and with harmonisation and coordination
between the Member States at Community level. This requires
appropriate monitoring activities, the need for which should
be assessed and an estimate made of the final cost and the
availability of all funding so as to ensure maximum cost-
benefit efficiency.

3.5.
The monitoring costs mentioned in the financial
framework do not seem realistic, especially when it is not
known how monitoring will be implemented. The methods
and resources to be applied and the cost of acquiring reliable
data that are suitable for policy decision-making should be
evaluated very carefully.

One study (4) estimates that effective monitoring of
3.6.
biodiversity in the EU area would require some 150 000 —
1,5 million observation plots whereas the present network for
monitoring the effects of atmospheric pollution comprises
about 7 000 observation plots. With so much scientific
uncertainty, it would be useful to define actual needs more
precisely, while also considering the possibility of using
new observation technologies such as satellites or automatic
observation and reading posts and computerisation, in order
to collect usable and reliable information and to draw up
statistics to support the Community forestry strategy.

The new Member States will probably join the Union
3.7.
in which case the
as early as the beginning of 2004,
Community’s total forest area will increase by about 30 million
hectares (5). The estimates given do not indicate how much the
establishment and maintenance of monitoring schemes in the
new Member States will cost. Broadening the scope of
monitoring activities to include monitoring of biodiversity,
carbon sequestration, soils and the effects of climate change

( 1) EESC opinion on the Communication on the Strategy for soil
protection, opinion on Forest protection/Atmospheric pollution,
OJ C 51, 23.2.2000, pp. 24-26.

( 2) COM(98) 649 final of 18.11.1998 (not published in the OJEC);
Committee opinion, OJ C 51, 23.2.2000, pp. 97-104, point 2.1.2
(EU forestry strategy).

(3) EESC opinion on National emission ceilings for atmospheric

pollutants/ozone, OJ C 29, 23.2.2000, pp. 11-17.

(4) Prof. Tomppo, E., Assessing the Biodiversity of Forests at National

and Continental Level, 10 September 2002.

(5) Committee opinion, OJ C 149, 21.6.2002, pp. 51-59.

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will probably entail a substantial increase in costs. The analysis
of the implementation of the regulation should also include an
assessment of the capacity of new Member States to carry
out more intensive monitoring and of the structural and
institutional changes that might be required in these countries
to enable effective monitoring.

3.8.
It must be borne in mind that Member States have
tomonitor the state of biodiversity nationally, partly in accord-
ance with their obligations under the Convention on Biodivers-
ity and in the context of the pan-European Ministerial Confer-
ences. In addition, other international organisations and bodies
collect monitoring data on the health of forests, biodiversity
and the carbon cycle. Accordingly, the Community authorities
will have to make every effort to use all the available data
already collected by the Member States and international
bodies in order to avoid any duplication and thus to contain
the costs of extending the existing schemes and securing
consistent procedures. Particular attention will have to be paid
in this regard to the implementing arrangements.

For greenhouse gas emissions and sinks,

3.9.
it is also
necessary to avoid any duplication of existing monitoring
activities and reporting under Community legislation and
other agreements. As regards carbon, it would be better to
draw on the guidelines on forest issues to be drawn up by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the
reports that Member States will be required to provide under
the Kyoto Protocol. It would be helpful if these reports were
drawn up with full and proper care and accuracy. As regards
monitoring soils, reference should be made to the appropriate
Commission proposal for legislation.

3.10.
Countries have invested heavily in the development
and maintenance of national inventories. Cost-effective moni-
toring is dependent on national schemes and their enhance-
ment. Supporting national monitoring activities will make it
possible to maintain continuity in time series and take account
of country-specific features without wasting resources on the
duplication of schemes while still making the changes required
to harmonise national monitoring more effectively with the
arrangements in place in the other Member States and to meet
additional information needs. The Community’s role could be
(i) to improve the comparability of data in cooperation with
the Member States and, if need be, the appropriate international
bodies and forums, (ii) to consolidate the data bearing in mind
other sources, (iii) to promote open cooperation and the quest
for best practice and (iv) to frame strategic policy proposals or
proposals for legislation where necessary.

3.11.
The Commission cites Article 175 of the Treaty
establishing the European Community as the sole legal basis
for the regulation. This article has served as the basis for
environment regulations in the past. The resolution on a forest
strategy for the European Union adopted by the EU Council of
Ministers in 1998 reaffirms the importance for forestry policy
of the subsidiarity principle, according to which the Member
States have the primary responsibility and obligation for the
sustainable management and use of forests and the protection
of forests. Similarly, the Community’s Sixth Environment
Action Programme requires that strategies and measures
relating to forests are implemented and developed in line with
the EU’s forest strategy and the subsidiarity principle, under
which powers are assigned to the most appropriate levels in
the Member States and the Community, and which is exercised
jointly with the proportionality principle.

Sustainable forestry comprises all aspects of sustaina-
3.12.
bility. Ecological sustainability should be treated in the analysis
as an element of sustainability alongside social and economic
sustainability. The forest-based and related industries represent
one of the most important industrial sectors in the EU and
total employment in the forestry and forest-based industries
will be about 5 million in the EU after enlargement, roughly a
quarter more than at present. The primary responsibility and
obligation for the management, use and protection of forests
rest with individual countries and are discharged in accordance
with the principle of sustainable development. This is a key
element of national forest programmes and strategies. Each
country is also responsible for ensuring that operators in the
sector possess the necessary professional skills for the pursuit
of sustainable forestry. Other economic or recreational activi-
ties such as the collection of medicinal plants or green tourism
may be developed in a forest environment whose traditional
features,
in particular flora and fauna diversity, must be
preserved in a balanced way. In the future, Member States
should retain these responsibilities in matters related to the
management, use and protection of forests, bearing in mind
society’s new expectations in terms of sustainable use and
environmental protection.

Action programmes for forests and other natural
3.13.
resources, their associated monitoring schemes and decisions
taken on the basis of monitoring activities should pay due
regard to the fact that the social importance of forestry and
forest-based economic activities varies between countries. It
is important that Community legislation take account of
developing the operating conditions of forest-based economic
activities in Member States.

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3.14.
The development of information systems is a laudable
aim. In developing information systems, attention needs to be
paid to improving the availability of information and systems
should be expanded to include e.g. exchange of information
and experience on best practice. At the same time, however,
where information is exchanged and published, the regulation
must guarantee adequate protection of personal data, for
example to forest owners with regard to their forest property.
The proposed regulation should make explicit reference to the
Community’s 1995 data protection directive.

3.15.
The regulation mentions ICP Forests (International
Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of
Air Pollution Effects on Forests), the Scientific Co-ordination

Brussels, 12 December 2002.

the

and

European

Environmental Agency

as
Body
implementing bodies,
in addition to the Commission, the
Member States and the Standing Forestry Committee. The
division of labour between these organisations should be
clarified so as to avoid duplication of work and an exponential
increase in Member States’ reporting obligations under the
regulation.

3.16.
The Standing Forestry Committee should be given a
central role in the implementation and development of the
regulation and should act as a regulatory committee in the
the Standing
enforcement of the regulation.
Forestry Committee should also act as forum for exchange of
information and discussion with the general public and
stakeholders.

In addition,

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Commission Communication
on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (“Roadmap”)’

(COM(2002) 181 final)

(2003/C 85/21)

On 28 May 2002, the European Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social
Committee, under Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-
mentioned communication.

The specialised Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible
for preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 14 November 2002. The
rapporteur was Mr Kallio and the co-rapporteur Mr Chagas.

At its 395th plenary session of 11 and 12 December 2002 (meeting of 12 December) the European
Economic and Social Committee adopted unanimously the following opinion.

1.

Introduction

Common Fisheries Policy in March 2001. The EESC issued an
opinion on the Green Paper in October 2001 (1).

1.1.
Declining fish stocks and overcapacity in the fishing
fleet, coupled with poor economic profitability and loss of
jobs, are generating considerable pressure for the reform of
the Community’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

1.3.
For the implementation of the reforms, in May 2002
the Commission published a Communication to the Council
on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (‘Roadmap’) (2)

1.2.
To take stock of the situation and stimulate debate, the
Commission published a Green Paper on the Future of the

(1) OJ C 36, 8.2.2002.
(2) COM(2002) 181 final.