44 Amendments of Maria NOICHL related to 2014/2223(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation -1 b (new)
Citation -1 b (new)
- having regard to Decision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union has no powers to create a common forestry policy and decisions on relevant policies concerning forestry and forests lie with the Member States, the principle of subsidiarity must be observed and responsibility for relevant policies lies primarily at a national level;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas energy, climate and environment policy and policy relating to other areas that have an impact on European forestry and forests are a matter lying within the competence of the EU; stresses that this policy has to be coordinated in line with the European Forest Strategy;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas timber is a sustainable limited resource and the intelligent resource-efficient use of this raw material needs to be ensured, including by the development of know-how;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas sustainably managed forests are enormously important in adding value at regional level and in guaranteeing jobs in rural areas as well as for the bio-economy and for recreation, while at the same time making a vital contribution to the environment;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas European forestry is characterised by sustainable management and long-term planning, and whereas the principle of sustainability should be even more strongly emphasised in a global contextat all levels, from local to global;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas the Member States are obliged to set an example for sustainable forest management in their publicly- owned forests; this applies in particular in relation to ecological, economic and social aspects;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on a new EU forest strategy and the accompanying working documents, and stresses that an EU forest strategy must focus on better coordination, because the increasing number of Europesustainable forest management and better coordination, because many policy initiativesareas, in pareas such asticular economic and employment policy, energy supply, environmental and climate policy, and the demands of society call for a greater contribution from the forestry sector;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Stresses that the main objective of the European forest strategy is the sustainable use of forests and their resources, in order to optimise the total utility of all of the functions of forests; notes that this includes in particular the conservation of forests as a significant source of life for humans, animals and plants and for the protection of soils, water, the climate, biodiversity and human health, the use of timber as a versatile raw material and energy source for achieving the greatest possible degree of self-sufficiency in the EU, the promotion of the forest-based sector as an economic driving force that creates many jobs in rural areas;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Notes that the urbanisation of society has made professional forest management difficult in many areas and that this can be associated with issues such as the risk of forest fires, the lack of thinning or afforestation and inadequate handling of pest problems;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Calls on the Member States to ensure that their legislation provides forests with the best possible protection against pollution and damage; Refers in this connection in particular to the protection against pollution caused for example by pesticides or munitions containing lead, protection against extreme soil compression due to the excessive use of machinery and protection against extreme game bite or damage as a result of a game population that is too large;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Notes that only mountain forests that are healthy and stable are able to perform, to a full extent, their functions of protecting humans and nature by counteracting the flow of avalanches and mudslides and serving as a natural protection against floods; in this connection in particular transnational communication is indispensable;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Gives its full support to the Commission’s efforts to promote forest-related employment and the generation of prosperity in Europe in a sustainable manner, and stresses in this connection the important role of the sustainable production of timber and other materials, such as cork, for the development of sustainable economic models and the creation of green jobs;
Amendment 143 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Urges the Member States to design their forestry policies in such a way as to take full account of the importance of forests in protecting biodiversity, in preventing soil erosion, in carbon sequestration and air purification and in maintaining the water cycle;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that in particular rural areas have very close links to forestry, and welcomes in this connection the recognition of the role of forestry in the Rural Development Programme of the 2014-2020 CAP;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that timber as a raw material and sustainable forest management have an important role to play in achievement of the EU’s socio-political goals such as climate protection, the energy transition and the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy targets and biodiversity targets, and notes that large-scale lack of management is inimical to these goals;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Notes that forest areas in the European Member States are extremely diverse; refers in this connection to the particularly valuable role of stable mixed forests including native species of trees suited to the local conditions and the essential part that mixed forests play in ecosystems and the contribution they make to biodiversity; calls on the Member States to support the efforts of forest owners to preserve and also to create native mixed forests typical of the area;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Acknowledges the positive impact of sustainable forest management on the biodiversity of forest ecosystems and strongly believes that sustainable forest management not only contributes to biodiversity conservation in the EU, but also helps restore lost biodiversity, in line with the objectives of the 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the 7th EAP;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Expressly supports the resource-efficient use of timber, as a raw material with limited availability, and opposes legally binding rules for prioritising the uses of wood, as this not only restricts the energy market but is also impossible to enforce in many rural areas, if only for infrastructure reasons; in this connection, supports an open, market-oriented approach and freedom for market participants;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Takes the view that the cascade model is a forward-looking resource-saving principle for the forest-based sector; In this connection calls on the Commission not to restrict the cascade model in European funding initiatives;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Believes that the EU should prioritise the use of locally-sourced timber, harvested wood products or forest biomass as opposed to wood imported from outside the EU in order to minimise the carbon footprint created by overseas transport, and stimulate sustainable local production;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Welcomes the development of European criteria for sustainable forest management by the Commission; stresses that these criteria should be aligned with the requirements of Forest Europe and should be adapted where appropriate to European legislation;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes the view that forest management plans can be anare important strategic instruments for the implementation of concrete measures at the level of individual businesses, while supporting the principle that such measures should be voluntary, in accordance with entrepreneurial freedom; calls at the same time for a clear separation between forest management plans and the management plans under Natura 2000, in view of the need to curb excessive bureaucracy, particularly for small and medium-sized forestry undertakinglong-term planning and implementation of sustainable forest management in European forests, whereas the implementation of concrete measures therein at the forest holding level remains subject to national regulations;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Stresses that the greatest possible degree of sustainable self-sufficiency in terms of timber as a raw material is in the vested interest of the European timber industry; notes that the promotion of short-rotation coppices, for example, can represent a key component in the context of the energy transition in order to reduce the pressure on forests;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12 c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to create incentives to encourage the increasingly large group of female forest owners to find special advice and support in relation to the active and sustainable management of their forests;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Calls on the Commission to take action, in the implementation of the Rural Development Funds, to ensure that support is provided in particular to initiatives for reducing loss of biodiversity in forests, for promoting native species of trees and for improving forest management and that the funds are used in line with the policy goals;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Calls on the Member States to offer forest owners professional advice in order to prevent overuse of forests as a result of excessive timber harvesting or deterioration of the balance of nutrients, for example due to the harvesting of whole trees;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Stresses that the use of sustainably produced timber products as a result not only of the production of bioenergy and biomaterials such as textile fibres, for instance, but also as a result of the expansion of the traditional use of timber as a raw material could be instrumental in reducing the current dependence on fossil fuels;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13 d. Notes that wood is the only material that is able to store carbon dioxide, and calls on the European Commission to promote the use of timber in durable products and as a substitute for energy- and resource-intensive materials such as plastic, aluminium or concrete, especially in the building industry;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13 e. Stresses that European forests are subject to an altered water balance and increased average temperatures as a result of climate change; in this connection calls on the Commission to develop a climate adaptation strategy for European forests in order to safeguard the future health and stability of European forests;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes the view that supporting research in forestry could further extending the forest-related knowledge basis is of crucial importance to research and that reliable information is essential for the implementation of the forest strategy; notes in this connection that national forest inventories represent a comprehensive monitoring tool for assessing forestry stocks and take into account regional considerations while responding to demands for less red tape and lower costs; welcomes in particular the Commission’s efforts to establish a European forest information system and initiatives to improve the comparability of existing dataand that reliable information on forest resources in the EU, their climate change mitigation potential as well as substitution effect of harvested wood products is essential for the implementation of the forest strategy;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Notes that national forest inventories represent a comprehensive monitoring tool for assessing forestry stocks and take into account regional considerations; welcomes in particular the Commission's efforts to establish a European forest information system and initiatives to improve the comparability of existing data;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to support the exchange of knowledge and best practice between industry, science and producers and to promote targeted research on cost-effective solutions for new, innovative timber products and wood- based products;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to promote initiatives focusing more closely on timber as one of the EU’s crucial raw materials and on the forest as a significant economic factor and, supplier for a bio-based society and numerous ecosystem services and as a space used for living and recreation, and expressly supports awareness-raising campaigns to this end in schools and educational establishments;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that forests across the world are subject to disasters such as drought, storms, fires and insect infestation in connection with climate change; stresses that sustainable forest management can reduce the impact of climate change and that the biodiversity thus achieved can diminish risks of forest fires, pest damage and disease;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all 28 Member States safeguard enforcement of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) by means of national laws and to instigate infringement proceedings against States in default; Calls for the product framework to be amended accordingly in the upcoming review of the EUTR;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Supports a trade policy and support mechanisms which reward those countries that restrict the loss of forests caused by the cultivation of agricultural commodities and refrain from perpetrating human rights violations in the forest-based sector;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20 c. Calls on the Member States to promote political measures which only consider the use of legally felled sustainable timber in the public procurement of timber, timber products and biomass for energy, in line with the long-term goals of the European Union, and which consequently safeguard supply chains that are free from deforestation, with the aim of minimising the loss of tropical forests;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure and promote the expanded involvement of experts from the Council, the European Parliament, interest groups and other stakeholders from the forest-based sector at an early stage in the implementation of a coherent forest strategy;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22 b. Calls on the Commission to draw up a fully-funded action plan containing specific measures for the successful implementation of the forest strategy;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes the view, therefore, that the Standing Forestry Committee should be strengthened by the inclusion of relevant interest groups to enable expertise from the Member States and the interest groups to be exploited to that end and to play an active role in the implementation process;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes that, in view of the Commission’s list of priorities, priority should also be given in implementing the new EU forest strategy to promoting the competitiveness and sustainability of forestry, supporting rural and urban areas, expanding the knowledge basis, protecting forests and preserving their ecosystems and promoting coordination and communication;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Calls on the Commission to work towards the primary goal of locally supporting and promoting communication between forest owners and users, in particular from the areas of environmental protection, recreation, tourism and hunting, in the Member States; Stresses in this connection the role of local partnership schemes, for example in the context of regional forest forums;