The role of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the importance of sustainable management of EU forests to address their poor state in some European countries were strongly highlighted on Monday 16 September at the opening of the European Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg.
This debate on the situation of forests in the EU has underlined the concerns of MEPs about this deterioration of recent years and their desire to see a coherent strategy to preserve a valuable resource because of its multifunctionality.
In Europe, 40% of the territory is covered by forests, a heritage threatened by extreme weather elements (storms, fires), which cause damage to ecosystems and economic losses, as well as by insects such as bark beetles, which decimate trees. More than 300,000 hectares of forest were destroyed in 2019 by more than 1,000 fires, particularly in Southern and Central Europe.
As forest policies are the responsibility of the Member States, subsidiarity applies, said Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy. Forests “provide economic opportunities in rural areas and are an asset for the transition to carbon neutrality by 2050”, he summarised.
To support Member States, the EU has committed €8 billion over the period 2014-2020, through cohesion funds and rural development policy. An amount of 1.5 billion has been committed for long-term forest resilience and another €27.7 million specifically for fire prevention. Mr Cañete mentioned the RescEU mechanism, a reserve of resources (helicopters to start with) in the field of EU civil protection. “Support for innovation, protection and resilience of forests will be increased in the next EU budget post-2020”, he said.
All MEPs stressed the essential role of forests for the well-being of society, biodiversity, the provision of ecosystem services, the income of forest communities, but also for their contribution to the fight against climate change as carbon sinks.
Do not cut CAP appropriations. If the forest in Europe extends by one hectare every 4 seconds, “which is an opportunity”, Anne Sander (EPP, France) said, to take, “in a context of intense heat waves, damage caused by pests and wood diseases, it is necessary to redouble efforts to guarantee their sustainable management, to ensure that forests continue to play an economic, social and environmental role” and to allow the growth of forest heritage in the long term.
Many MEPs have called, as she has, for the continuation of the CAP two pillars funding in the next EU budget to support landowners and adaptation to climate change.
“Cuts in the CAP must be rejected”, said Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (EPP, Spain). He pointed out that in Spain, forests absorb 37% of the CO2 emitted. “It is thanks to the CAP that we have been able to increase the forest area”, said Paulo de Castro (S&D, Portugal).
Coherence and credibility. Eric Andrieu (S&D, France) stressed the EU's responsibility for global deforestation, in particular by importing palm oil, “a fuel three times more harmful than fossil fuels”. According to him, the EU would be “more credible” if it adopted a real forest conservation strategy by imposing binding clauses in the free trade agreements it concludes, to guarantee compliance with environmental standards.
Nils Torvalds (Renew Europe, Sweden) claimed that not all of Europe's forests, some of them in good health, could be put under the same umbrella. Finnish MEPs, such as Teuvo Hakkarainen (ID), have encouraged other EU countries to learn from the good practices of sustainable forest management in their country.
Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR, Poland) pointed out that in Poland, forest cover has increased from 20% of the territory in 1946 to 30% today and that the country plans to plant millions of trees every year (although the country has been prosecuted in court over the logging of the Białowieża forest which has 'Natura 2000' status).
Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) deplored that with 40% of renewable energy from biomass, a decline in carbon sinks is expected in the EU by 2030. His French colleague Michèle Rivasi considered the Commission's communication on the situation (see EUROPE 12302/1) to be very comprehensive, but essentially based on voluntary measures. “Wood should be excluded from energy in renewable energy legislation and palm oil imports should be stopped”, he said.
Ulrike Müller (Renew Europe, Germany) was alarmed by the exponential development of the bark beetle, which led to the loss of 20 million m3 of wood and half a billion euros for Bavarian foresters. She argued for the lost wood to be reused in construction. Sylvia Limmer (ID) criticised the establishment of 500 wind turbines in the Münster forest, a 'Natura 2000' area that shelters century-old trees.
New perspectives. Responding to MEPs, Mr Cañete said that the Commission's communication to step up action to protect and restore the world's forests reflects the EU's commitment.
For him, the future CAP, which creates a new balance of responsibilities between Member States and the EU, will continue to support sustainable forest management based on needs assessment, in a long-term strategy geared towards a low-carbon transition, as well as protecting biodiversity and the services they provide.
“The European Green Deal will make it possible to consider new actions in the context of the post-2020 strategic framework to improve the conservation status and resilience of European forests”, said Mr Cañete (see EUROPE 12322/10, 12298/17). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)