The text of the EU Council conclusions, which broadly welcomes the forest strategy as proposed by the European Commission, is almost finalised.
Only one delegation continues to have a problem with the sentence stating that the Communication “would need a balanced vision of the different dimensions of sustainability”. This delegation has asked that this passage be deleted from the text.
The ‘Agriculture’ Council of the EU hopes, on 15 November, to reach unanimous agreement on these conclusions to make them EU Council conclusions. Otherwise, they will be conclusions of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council.
The EU Agriculture Ministers had also criticised certain aspects of this strategy (see EUROPE 12810/7).
With regard to the implementation of the strategy, the EU countries are expected to stress the need to “strengthen the socio-economic objectives, define the concepts and terms newly introduced in the EU Forestry Strategy and set clear milestones for future cooperation between the Commission and the Member States”.
The important role of EU forests in combating biodiversity loss and climate change is recognised in the text. The conclusions recall the ongoing work on defining, mapping and monitoring of the remaining primary and old-growth forests in the EU with the aim of ensuring their conservation. The draft conclusions regret that the aspects of desertification and the hydrological function of forests have not been sufficiently developed in the strategy.
Incentives. One passage in the text refers to the financial mechanisms and incentives available, including for payments for forest ecosystem services.
The Commission is invited to explore options for finding “new innovative market-based solutions, such as payments for ecosystem services” for climate change mitigation and adaptation and for biodiversity, including solutions such as close-to-nature forestry and carbon farming, “while limiting the administrative burden for forest owners and managers, as well as for public administrations”.
The EU Council is expected to seek clarification on the added value of possible legislative proposal on a framework for forest monitoring, reporting and data collection, including Member States' strategic plans for forests.
Finally, it is requested that the added value to already existing voluntary certification schemes be “a precondition” for any consideration of introducing new certification schemes.
Link to the draft conclusions: https://bit.ly/3mMKeub (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)