REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress in the implementation of the EU Forest Strategy 'A new EU Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest sector'
Date: 2018-12-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: EU strategy, European forestry policy, adaptation to climate change, forest, forest conservation, forestry economics, forestry research, sustainable forest management, wood industry, wooded area

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.12.2018  COM(2018) 811 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Progress in the implementation of the EU Forest Strategy  'A new EU Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest sector'  
 
 
Introduction: the EU Forest Strategy 

In 2013, the Communication ‘A new Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest-based sector’1 
(‘the Strategy’) set a new EU framework to coordinate and ensure coherence in forest-related 
policies and enhance the contribution of forests and the forest-based sector to EU objectives. 

Sustainable forest management (SFM), the multifunctional role of forests, resource efficiency 
and global forest responsibility are its guiding principles. 

The  Strategy  engages  the  Commission,  Member  States  and  relevant  stakeholders  to  work 

together  towards  a  common  vision  and  a  coherent  planning  and  implementation  of  forest-
related policies. It sets two key objectives for 2020: (i) ensuring that all forests in the EU are 

managed  according  to  SFM  principles,  and  (ii)  strengthening  the  EU's  contribution  to 
promoting SFM and reducing deforestation at global level. Both address the three dimensions 

of sustainable development, providing a holistic approach to forest management and policy. 

The  Strategy  addresses  eight  linked  priority  areas  encompassing  key  policies  and  aspects 

relevant to forest management, the forest-based sector, and the society. A series of ‘strategic 
orientations’  under  each  priority  area  give  indications  on  how  the  priorities  could  best  be 

addressed by the Commission or the Member States. 

The Council2 and the European Parliament3, supported by the European Economic and Social 
Committee4 and the Committee of the Regions5, welcomed the Strategy. Responding to their 
requests,  the  Commission  produced  a  Multiannual  Implementation  Plan6  (Forest-MAP)  in 
cooperation  with  the  Standing  Forestry  Committee  (SFC)  and  the  stakeholder  platforms 

identified in the Strategy, which defines concrete actions, actors and timing for 2015-2020. 

The review process  

The Strategy planned a review by 2018 to assess progress in its implementation. The Forest-
MAP,  which  listed  working  priorities  for  the  Commission  until  2017,  specified  that  this 

review  would  help  determine  priorities  for  the  period  2018-20.  In  addition,  the  Council 
invited  ‘the  Commission  to  report  back  to  the  Council  on  the  findings  of  this  review  and 

present its recommendations (…) by 2018’. 

1 COM(2013)659. 
2 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/agricult/142685.pdf 
3http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+TA+P8-TA-2015-
0109+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN 
4 OJ C 451, 16.12.2014, p. 127–133. 
5 OJ C 126, 26.4.2014, p. 3–7. 
6 SWD(2015)164. 

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Diverse  sources  of  evidence  supported  the  review,  including  results  of  formal  policy 
evaluations, EU reports and publications, supplemented by one specific study7. 

Eight priority areas - Summary of progress  

To  date,  the  Strategy  has  supported  and  guided  a  large  number  of  activities  by  the 
Commission, Member States, public and private stakeholders. The majority of actions in the 

Forest MAP, across all the eight priority areas, have been implemented as envisaged: about 
30%  have  been  fully  completed,  and  some  are  partially  implemented;  45%  are  ongoing 

activities. About 10% of the activities have not started yet, and a few experience delay. 

Progress by priority area can be summarised as follows:  

Supporting our rural and urban communities 

The rural development policy (RD) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) continues to 
be  the  main  source  of  support  for  the  protection  and  the  sustainable  management  of  EU 

forests.  For  the  2014-2020  programming  period,  24  Member  States  planned  forestry 
measures, i.e. 90% of the rural development programmes (RDPs), committing an amount of 

8.2  billion  EUR  of  total  public  expenditure.  Four  Member  States  addressed  their  forestry 
needs through State aid8.  

Forestry  measures  help  Member  States  to  support  multifunctional  forests  and  SFM  and 

combine  them  with  other  RD  measures  (e.g.  advisory  services,  training,  investments, 
cooperation)  to  address  specific  regional  needs.  They  support  the  expansion  of  forests 
through  afforestation  and  the  establishment  and  renewal  of  agroforestry  systems9.  Other 
measures supporting the sustainable management of forests include: fire and natural disasters 
prevention (over 20% of the planned expenditure); restoration after damage; investment for 

climate  change  adaptation  and  provision  of  environmental  or  amenity  services,  and 
compensation  for  Natura  2000  and  voluntary  commitments.  Moreover,  RD  supports 

investments to improve the economic value of forests and pre-industrial wood processing.  

Forestry measures are designed to enhance the contribution of SFM to EU policy objectives, 
while  benefitting  the  forest-based  sector,  supporting  rural  development  and  promoting  the 

7 Study on progress implementing the EU Forest Strategy. 
8 E.g. In Germany, most Länder provide aid to forestry through RD, and three Länder through State aid. 
9 Afforestation target: > 300.000 ha; Agroforestry target: >80.000 ha. 

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provision of goods and services coherently with key environment and climate policies. Their 
scope sufficiently matches the key societal and sectoral needs10. 

The uptake of certain measures (e.g. agroforestry, Natura 2000) has so far not achieved the 

expected  results.  Additional  exchange  and  promotion  of  good  practices  across  and  within 
Member States might help address potential limiting factors, often attributed to administrative 
burden  or  forest  ownership  structure.  The  proposal  for  the  CAP  2021-202711,  by  providing 
more subsidiarity and flexibility, should bring new opportunities for Member States to design 

measures  that  better  support  local  needs  and  priorities  with  simpler  administrative 
procedures. The results of the ongoing evaluation of the State aid rules 2014-2020 will feed 

into the revision of the State aid guidelines. 

The interaction of forests and trees with urban and peri-urban areas, and the understanding of 
their role for those communities are increasingly demanding attention. 

Fostering the competitiveness and sustainability of the EU’s Forest-based Industries (F-BI), 
bio-energy and the wider green economy 

The  EU  F-BI  performs  sustainable  and  resource-efficient  processing  of  a  wide  range  of 
materials and products12. The Blueprint for EU Forest-based Industries, which accompanied 
the  Strategy,  identified  the  challenges  facing  these  sectors  and  the  necessary  actions13.  In 
2015, the extended F-BI value chains supported 3.6 million jobs with a turnover of EUR 640 
billion (added value € 200 billion) in the green economy14, replacing fossil-based materials. 
The  Strategy  promotes,  in  a  forward-looking  forest-based  sector,  the  sustainable  and 

resource-efficient  mobilisation  and  use  of  forest  biomass,  the  development  of  the 
bioeconomy, access to domestic and international markets, and enhanced R&I. 

Sectoral  studies  helped  underpin  competitiveness  and  sustainability,  including:  wood 
availability and global competitiveness15; a cumulative cost assessment of EU legislation on 
the F-BI16; analyses on consumer information for furniture17 and cascading of wood18 (as an 

10 Evaluation of the forestry measures under Rural Development. 
11 COM(2018) 392 final. 
12 E.g. for: construction, furnishing, printing, packaging, hygienic products, food additives, and increasingly also 
bio-based textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, 3D printing composites and biofuels. 
13 SWD (2013) 343. 
14 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/basics/green-economy/index_en.htm 
15https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/10017/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/pdf 
16 https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/study-assessment-cumulative-cost-impact-specified-eu-legislation-
and-policies-eu-forest-0_en 
17 http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/7572/attachments/1/translations 
18 https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/study-optimised-cascading-use-wood-0_en 

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input to the Circular Economy Action Plan19 good-practice guidance20). Actions to stimulate 
domestic market growth of forest-based products, e.g. in construction, are promoted by some 
Member  States.  In  parallel,  the  EU  has  launched  a  Skills  Blueprint  initiative21  for 
construction and F-BI sectors. 

Internationally, progress was made in bilateral trade deals, notably with Canada and Japan in 
the relevant sectors and with Ukraine in the promotion of SFM22.  

Significant  progress  took  place  within  the  EU  Framework  Programmes  FP723  and  Horizon 
202024, supported by the EIP Raw Materials25. The Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform 
(FTP)26  enables  enhanced  cooperation  for  innovation.  Public-private  partnerships  on  bio-
based  products27  help  commercialise  them  in  diverse  applications,  e.g.  new  fibre 
technologies, bio-composites, bioethanol, bio-diesel. 

The agreed recast of the Renewable Energy Directive28 includes new sustainability criteria on 
forest  biomass  used  for  bioenergy  production.  These  criteria,  and  the  ongoing  work 
addressing sustainability of forest-based products, build on work of the SFC on SFM criteria 
and indicators29. Once fully operational30, they will support SFM in and beyond the EU.  

An EIP AGRI focus group31 also addressed ways to improve the sustainable mobilisation of 
biomass  from  EU  forests.The  revised  EU  Bioeconomy  Strategy32  should  help  deploy 
innovation  and  further  scale-up  the  role  of  forest-based  biomass  to  replace  non-renewable 
materials and products, whilst protecting the environment and ensuring circularity. 

Forests in a changing climate 

The  Strategy  promotes  forest  management  practices  within  national  policy  frameworks  to 
reduce  emissions,  sequester  CO2  and  build  forest  resilience,  by  using  EU  funds  and  best 
knowledge. 

19 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52015DC0614 
20 To be published before the end of 2018.  
21 http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1415&langId=en 
22 In the framework of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. 
23 https://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/index_en.cfm  
24 https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en  
25 https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/raw-materials/policy-strategy_en 
26http://www.forestplatform.org/#!/  
27 Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking under Horizon 2020 (https://www.bbi-europe.eu/) 
28 See provisional agreement reached in June 2018: http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10308-
2018-INIT/en/pdf 
29 https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/sites/agriculture/files/forest/publications/pdf/sfcci-report_en.pdf 
30 The Commission will establish operational guidance by January 2021. 
31 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/focus-groups/sustainable-mobilisation-forest-biomass 
32 COM/2018/673. 

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EU  policy  tools  in  place  ensure  the  contribution  of  forests  to  mitigation  (LULUCF 
Regulation33)  and  adaptation  to  climate  change  (EU  Adaptation  Strategy34).  LULUCF 
reporting under the UN Climate Change Convention has brought significant progress towards 
achieving the mitigation potential of EU forests, improving the understanding of the relation 

between  climate  and  forests  and  fostering  action  in  Member  States’  policy  agendas.  The 
LULUCF Regulation, emphasizes the role of forests and wood in reducing emissions and in 

carbon  sequestration,  further  underpinning  SFM.  As  for  climate  change  adaptation,  25 
Member  States  have  national  or  sectoral  adaptation  strategies  in  place;  in  most  of  them, 
forests is a priority35.  

The EU has provided significant financial and institutional support to address forest fires and 
other  disasters,  including  through  the  CAP,  European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds, 

research and LIFE funds. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism supports forest fire prevention 
through risk assessments, management plans, early warning and alert systems and awareness 

raising. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) monitors forest fire risk and 
incidence  for  coordinated  and  quick  response,  supported  by  the  European  Forest  Fire 

Information  System  (EFFIS).  Following  recent  extreme  events,  a  proposal  to  reinforce  the 
EU-Civil Protection Mechanism36 aims to strengthen the EU coordinated means to fight fires 
and  to  put  more  emphasis  on  prevention  and  preparedness,  contributing  to  further  the 
interaction between adaptation and civil protection. 

Additional  experience  and  exchanges  of  good  practices  in  planning,  implementation  and 
monitoring of mitigation and adaptation actions and their synergies, would underpin the long-

term sustainability of forests and secure their carbon storage.  

Protecting forests and enhancing ecosystem services 

The  Strategy  favours  preventive  approaches  to  ensure  forests’  provision  of  ecosystem 

services and contribution to biodiversity; in this respect, it highlights the potential of Forest 
Management  Plans  (FMPs)  or  equivalent  instruments  for  a  balanced  delivery  of  goods  and 

services.  It calls on Member States and the Commission to implement the EU Habitats and 
Birds  Directives,  the  EU  Biodiversity  Strategy,  to  develop  ways  for  valuing  ecosystem 

services, and to use EU funds for the protection of the forests’ natural capital. 

33 Regulation (EU) 2018/841. 
34 COM (2013) 216. 
35 https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/countries-regions/countries 
36 ‘RescEU: a new European system to tackle natural disasters’, expected to be adopted in 2018.  

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The  initiative  to  map,  assess  and  value  ecosystem  services  (MAES)37  has  made  progress, 
including a forest pilot project and works on an EU natural capital accounts system (INCA)38.  
EU  funding  increasingly  integrates  opportunities  for  supporting  forest  ecosystem  services’ 
provision.  There  is  limited  evidence  on  how  SFM  supports  policies  such  as  the  EU  Water 

Framework Directive, but EU supported research in this area, i.e. a project on the provision 
of water-related services39 may shed more light supporting policy design and implementation. 

The  EU  instruments  for  pest  control  have  been  reinforced  with  the  new  plant  health 
Regulation40 and the Regulation on invasive alien species41, improving the protection of EU’s 
forests and plants. 

The Commission published a Natura 2000 and Forests guide42, resulting from a joint effort 
of  very  diverse  stakeholders.  The  integration  of  biodiversity  into  FMPs  has  progressed. 
Member  States  and  forest  owners  and  managers  make  use  of  RDPs  and  LIFE  funding  to 

support  the  implementation  of  their  commitments,  and  some  have  promoted  initiatives  for 
protecting and promoting forest genetic resources. 

Despite the action taken so far, the implementation of the EU biodiversity policy remains a 
major  challenge.  The  reports  on  conservation  of  forest  habitats  and  species  show  no 

improvement  so  far.  Further  efforts  are  needed  to  enhance  the  role  of  FMPs  in  achieving 
biodiversity targets and support the provision of ecosystem services. Finalising ongoing work 

under MAES and research on tools and methods to account for forest ecosystem services and 
their financial reward should provide new insights in this area. 

What forests do we have and how are they changing? 

The Strategy aims at strengthening the knowledge base to address the challenges for forests 
and the forest-based sector, by enhancing cooperation and coordination in the development of 
the Forest Information System for Europe (FISE) as a reference for data and information on 
forests and forestry in Europe, in close connection with other data and information systems, 

and harmonising data at EU level.  

A FISE prototype is still under development. Some relevant constituent information systems 

are  operational  and  updated,  e.g.  EFFIS  (on  forest  fires)  or  FOREMATIS  (on  Forest 
Reproductive  Material).  Forest  data  harmonisation,  inter  alia  to  contribute  to  international 

37 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/knowledge/ecosystem_assessment/index_en.htm 
38 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/capital_accounting/index_en.htm 
39 http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15206 
40 Regulation 2016/2031. 
41 Regulation 1143/2014. 
42https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/forest/publications  

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processes  such  as  the  data  collection  for  the  Forest  Europe  SFM  indicators,  is  work  in 
progress. 

Setting up the FISE still requires significant work on system development, data collection and 
harmonisation, and integration of resources from existing (e.g. EFFIS, Climate-ADAPT43), or 
potential future sources (e.g. DIABOLO, MAES). 

New and innovative forestry and added-value products 

The  Strategy  proposes  an  ambitious  research  and  innovation  (R&I)  agenda  aiming  at 
enhancing the sector’s sustainability and development of innovative products and processes, 
through  Horizon  2020,  EIP  Raw  Materials,  EIP  AGRI44,  SCAR45,  the  forest  governance 
structure and other EU relevant fora, and coordination and dissemination of good practices. 

EU-funded  research  has  supported  the  forest-based  sector  with  about  50046  projects  since 
200747. Horizon 2020 is expected to surpass the total amount of more than 500 million EUR 
spent on forest-based sector research in FP7. Innovation funding from the ERDF supplements 
this,  as  many  EU  regions  selected  forestry-related  priorities  in  their  Smart  Specialisation 

Strategies.  The  EIPs  AGRI  and  Raw  Materials  connect  forestry  with  relevant  research  in: 
agroforestry;  sustainable  mobilisation  of  forest  biomass;  addressing  climate  change  and 

environmental issues; and value chains.  

The  programmes  FP7  ERA-NETs  FORESTERRA,  SUMFOREST  and  WoodWisdom 
supported about 70 projects (85 million EUR) from EU and national sources. ForestValue48, 
the  ongoing  Horizon  2020  ERA-NET  supporting  the  transition  to  a  bio-based  economy, 
involves  17  countries  and  has  mobilised  EUR  20  million  national  and  EU  funding.  The 
Strategic  Working  Group  on  Forest  Research  and  Innovation  under  SCAR49  has  supported 
coordination,  studies  on  the  scope  and  outcomes  of  EU-funded  research,  and  outreach 

activities to other fora.  

Defining  the  research  agendas  and  the  relations  between  research  and  EIPs  would  benefit 

from  a  strengthened  framework  to  disseminate  project  results.  A  strong  capitalisation  of 
forest-based  sector's 
innovation  along  value  chains  would  help 

to  support 

the 

43 https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/ 
44 https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/about  
45 Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (https://scar-europe.org/). 
46 EU CORDIS & ERA-NET databases contain (10/2018) 273 FP7 funded projects (ca. EUR 514 million) and 214 
Horizon 2020 projects (ca. EUR 388 million). 
47 https://scar-europe.org/images/FOREST/Documents/SWG_forestry_study-v2.pdf 
48 https://forestvalue.org/ 
49 The SCAR SWG Forest promotes transnational research and cooperation on climate change adaptation and 
mitigation, the sector competitiveness, and ecosystem services provision. 

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competitiveness. Horizon 2020 calls for projects that capitalise on finished project results, but 
outcomes of such activities are still to materialise. 

Working together to coherently manage and better understand our forests 

Coordination,  cooperation  and  communication  are  necessary  to  balance  different  sectoral 
policy  objectives  and  approaches.  The  Strategy  aims  at  reinforcing  governance  and 

communication,  in  particular  through  the  Standing  Forestry  Committee  (SFC),  the  Civil 
Dialogue  Group  on  Forestry  and  Cork  (CDG-FC),  and  the  Expert  Group  on  Forest-based 

Industries and Sectorally Related Issues (F-BI EG).  

The  SFC  continues  to  be  the  main  forum  for  discussion  on  EU  forests  and  forest-related 
issues  and  the  implementation  of  the  Strategy.  Its  information  and  debate  sessions  on  all 

relevant  EU  policy  initiatives  are  based  on  annual  work  programmes  that  build  on  and  are 
coherent  with  the  Forest  MAP.  The  SFC  emitted  opinions50  and  reports23  that  were 
transmitted to the relevant policymakers. At the SFC, Member States share their experiences, 
initiatives,  knowledge  and  advice.  The  SFC  occasionally  met  stakeholders  (CDG-FC)  and 
sectoral expert groups (e.g. on biodiversity). 

The Civil Dialogue Group on Forestry and Cork meets twice a year and has an observer chair 

in the SFC. It delivered resolutions showing the stakeholders’ joint vision on topics such as 
the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the role of forestry in the CAP.  

The  EG-FBI51  has  operated  since  2014,  focusing  so  far  on  trade  issues,  especially  with 
“Neighbourhood” States, the EUTR review and the cascading use of biomass. 

The plan to set up a European Forest Bureau Network has not materialised. Yet, the European 
National  Forest  Inventory  Network  (ENFIN)  and  several  EU-support  research  actions52  are 
working towards a more harmonised forest information in Europe.  

The  results  of  the  2015  Eurobarometer  survey  on  the  public  perception  of  the  benefits 
provided  by  forests53  suggest  the  need  for  a  better  communication  on  the  importance  of 
sustainably  managed  forests.  The  approach  taken  by  the  EU  Forest  Communication 
Strategy54 provides a sound basis to reflect how to address these needs. 

50 https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/forest/standing-committee/opinions_en 
51 The EG-FBI draws together sectoral industry representatives, MS and other sectoral stakeholders. 
52 Including e.g. DIABOLO, two COST actions, and an ongoing contract with the European Forest Data Centre. 
53 http://ec.europa.eu/COMMFrontOffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/ResultDoc/download/DocumentKy/69759 
54 https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/sites/agriculture/files/fore/publi/communication-strategy_en.pdf 

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Forests from a global perspective 

The Strategy aims to strengthen the role of the EU in the global efforts to promote SFM and 
reduce deforestation, ensuring consistency between EU and MS policies and commitments. It 

promotes  the  role  of  forests  in  sustainable  development,  and  fights  deforestation  and  forest 
degradation in international fora, within its external and cooperation action.   

The  EU  and  the  Member  States  have  adopted  common  positions  to  promote  SFM  in  pan-

European (FOREST EUROPE) and international forest-related fora (e.g. UNFF, FAO, ITTO) 
and other international processes (e.g. the UN Convention on Biological Diversity), including 

the  2030  Agenda  and  its  Sustainable  Development  Goals  (SDGs),  in  particular  through  the 
implementation  of  the  United  Nations  Strategic  Plan  for  Forests  2017-203055.  Within 
FOREST  EUROPE56,  the  EU  is  exploring  options  for  concluding  a  pan-European  legally 
binding  agreement  on  forests,  which  would  translate  the  SFM  concept  into  law,  initially 

covering 25% of the world's forests.  

The  EU  FLEGT  Action  Plan  is  a  relevant,  innovative  response  to  the  challenge  of  illegal 
logging  and  its  implementation  has  significantly  improved  forest  governance57  in  partner 
countries.  The  number  of  Voluntary  Partnership  Agreements  between  the  EU  and  timber-
producing  countries  is  steadily  increasing58.  The  first  FLEGT  licensing  scheme  (Indonesia) 
became  operational  in  2016.  The  EUTR59  review  confirmed  its  potential  to  combat  illegal 
logging  and  associated  trade,  but  also  the  need  for  furthering  its  uniform  and  effective 
application; its implementation in 2015-17 showed significant improvement. Furthermore, a 

study addressing the impacts of EU consumption on deforestation and forest degradation shed 
light on this complex problem60. The Commission The Commission will put forward a new 
initiative to step-up EU action against deforestation. 

EU  development  policy  supports  global  forest-related  activities,  as  addressed  in  the 
International  Cooperation  and  Development  Strategic  Plan  2016-2020,  and  promotes 
inclusive  green  economy  cooperation  interventions61.  Many  projects  illustrate  the  value  of 
EU and Member States’ support, directly or through global multi-donors, in promoting SFM 
globally. The EU is also supporting developing countries in REDD+ national plans, and with 

initiatives  promoting  zero-deforestation  supply  chains.  The  EU  also  seeks  to  include 

55 https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N17/184/62/PDF/N1718462.pdf?OpenElement 
56 The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (https://foresteurope.org/) 
57 SWD(2016) 275. 
58 Six concluded VPAs and nine being negotiated. (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/flegt.htm) 
59 COM(2016) 74 final. 
60 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/studies_EUaction_deforestation_palm_oil.htm 
61 https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/file/80634/download?token=-ZXMS3Cz 

9 

 
 
                                                           
provisions  on  the  promotion  of  SFM  and  commitments  to  combat  illegal  logging  and 
associated trade in its bilateral trade agreements. 

EU funding for forests and the forest-based sector 

The Commission  has aligned the various EU funding streams  to  support the objectives and 
priorities of the Strategy. The CAP is the main source of funding of the forest sector (EUR 
8.2 billion public expenditure), in coherence and synergy with other ESI Funds62, LIFE, and 
the EU Research Framework Programme.  

The climate priority established for the EU funds provides significant targeted incentives to 
foster  climate  action  in  forests.  On  the  other  side,  the  funding  opportunities  for  protecting 

forests and enhancing ecosystem services are not fully utilised. 

The  overall  EU  funding  for  R&I  in  the  forest-based  sector  has  increased  significantly  (249 
projects  received  615  million  €  in  2013-17)63,  supporting  innovations  and  promotion  of 
growth and jobs.  

EU  development  cooperation  has  assigned  EUR  235  million  for  the  period  2014-2020  to 
support FLEGT and REDD+ activities mainly under the European Development Fund, which 

are complemented by country and region specific cooperation programmes, with a focus on 
improving governance and promoting forest conservation. 

Conclusion - Progress towards 2020 objectives 

Significant  progress  towards  the  2020  objectives  has  been  made.  Since  its  adoption,  the 

Strategy  has  effectively  framed  EU  actions  into  its  principles  and  goals,  facilitating  the 
coordination of all EU policy areas relevant to forests and the forest-based sector, promoting 

a consistent  approach in  both  domestic and international  policies, and allowing the EU  and 
Member States to be world-leading advocates for sustainable forest management.  

Substantial  progress  in  implementing  the  activities  addressing  the  eight  Strategy’s  priority 

areas and the strategic orientations has been achieved. The Strategy is recognized by Member 
States as influencing their policies and actions, also at sub-national level64. 

The Strategy is a valid policy tool that allows the EU and Member States to address the many 
challenges  and  roles  of  forests  when  new  policy  objectives  and  societal  priorities  are 

62 E.g. Member States have allocated almost EUR 8 billion to Thematic Objective 5 'climate change adaptation, 
risk prevention and management'  to address several risks including forest fires. 
63 According to the Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform. 
64 ‘Sustainable forest management in regions’. Report by the Committee of the Regions, 2018. 

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increasingly  demanding  to  serve  multiple  purposes  that  sometimes  can  be  perceived  as 
contradictory. The  growing societal demands  from  forests, increased pressures  and  climatic 

stressors might require additional efforts and commitment from all relevant actors to intensify 
coordination, cooperation and expert involvement, including across sectors and between the 

Commission, Member States and other stakeholders.  

New policy developments will deserve due attention in the remaining implementation period, 
including ensuring the contribution of forests to the climate and energy framework - notably 

the  implementation  of  the  new  LULUCF  and  renewable  energy  legislation,  while  facing 
adaptation  of  forests  to  climate  change,  to  meet  the  EU  commitments  under  the  Paris 

Agreement. The Strategy and its priorities are fit for stressing the importance of forests and 
related  EU  policies  for  the  implementation  of  the  2030  Agenda  in  the  EU  and  globally,  in 

particular through the implementation of the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-
2030. 

The continued implementation of the Strategy, supported by the EU budget, will help the EU 
forests, covering 40% of the territory, to contribute effectively to territorial balance, growth 

and jobs in rural and urban areas, support the forest-based sector to stay competitive and the 
bioeconomy  to  develop,  while  protecting  biodiversity  and  ensuring  the  provision  of 

ecosystem services. Communicating the value and importance of well-managed forests to the 
society, thus ensuring strong societal support for sustainable forest management, is essential 

to underpin these goals. 

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