On Wednesday 28 October, the European Commission adopted the delegated act containing the reference levels for forests to be applied by each Member State between 2021 and 2025.
Consisting of an estimate, expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, of the average annual net emissions or removals resulting from forest land managed in the territory of a Member State during the period 2021-2025, these reference levels range from -55,399,290 (France) to +354,000 (Denmark).
The delegated act will now be subject to a two-month scrutiny period by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.
If they decide not to oppose or object, the text will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force after 20 days.
A long process
Provided for in the European Regulation (2018/841) on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), reference levels for forests are the result of a long process.
They were initially determined by the Member States, which had to submit draft national forest accounting plans to the Commission by 31 December 2018.
These plans, containing the proposed reference levels, were then analysed by an expert group composed of representatives of Member States, independent experts and various stakeholders. On the basis of their conclusions, the Commission addressed recommendations to the States, leading them to revise their plans and, if necessary, to recalculate their reference level.
See the reference levels contained in the delegated act: https://bit.ly/35NlYhI (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)