Brussels, 29/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - Copa-Cogeca and EU forest owners have agreed a common position on a legally binding agreement on forests, which is set to be debated in Vienna at the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on 27 February-2 March.
Copa-Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen stressed that forest owners in Europe welcomed the Oslo 2011 decision on a legally binding agreement and believe the economic functions of forests are crucial in fostering a green economy. “The generation and maintenance of green jobs and income, rural development, long term economic viability and competitiveness of our sector, request an active and sustainable management of our forests, and a stronger promotion of the use of wood”, he said. The objectives of the EU 2020 strategy for growth and employment “cannot be achieved without an increased production and use of biomass”, he added. He pointed out that forests form part of the response to climate change, “but only if they are sustainably managed and have competitive downstream industries to refine wood into a variety of products”.
The forest sector offers a significant contribution to Europe's greenhouse gas mitigation strategy, which includes the storage of carbon in forest ecosystems, in harvested wood products, and the substitution of fossil based products and energy. The common position was agreed by: Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF), Union of Foresters of Southern Europe (USSE), European
Farmers and European Agri-Cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca), European Landowners' Organisation (ELO), European State Forest Association (EUSTAFOR) and European Federation of Municipal Forest Owners (FECOF). (LC/transl.rt)