81 Amendments of Maria NOICHL related to 2019/2157(INI)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
— having regard to the Mid-Term Review of the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the responsibilities of the EU States under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD),
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the Court Judgement C-164/97 and C-165/97 1a _________________ 1acourt judgement- Joined Cases C- 164/97 and C-165/97; available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:6199 7CJ0164&rid=1
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU’s internal and international commitments to, for example, the European Green Deal, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and the creation of a zero-emission society, will be impossible to achieve without the climate benefits and other ecosystem services provided by forests and the forest- based sector;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union makes no reference to a common EU forest policy, and responsibility for forests lies with the Member States, but whereas the EU has a long history of contributing, through its policies, some of which already have implications on the Member States' forestry policies, to sustainable forest management (SFM) and the Member States’ decisions on forests;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union makes no reference to a common EU forest policy, and responsibility for forests lies with the Member States, but whereas the EU has a long history of contributing, through its policies, to sustainable forest management (SFM) and the Member States’ decisions on forests;forest protection inherently forms part of the environmental action for which Community competence is founded on Article 191 of the Treaty1a; _________________ 1aCourt judgement for Joined cases C- 164/97 and C-165/97
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas approximately 40% of EU's forests are publicly owned, Member States are obliged to set an example for sustainable forest management in their publicly owned forests for the public good;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas only 26 % of forest species and 15 % of the forest habitats are in favourable conservation status;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas illegal logging is ongoing also in the EU3a _________________ 3aexamples Romania, Sweden, Poland https://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/p df/Briefing%20note%20May- June%202019_Final.pdf and https://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/p df/Briefing_Note_April_- _May_2018_Public_version.pdf
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas forests and the entire forest-based value chain are fundamental to the further development of the circular bioeconomy as they provide jobs, ensure economic welfare in rural and urban areas, deliver climate change mitigation and adaptation services, offer health-related benefits, and protect the biodiversity and prospects of mountainous and rural areas and combat desertification;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas forests and the entire forest-based value chain are fundamental to the further development of the circular bioeconomy as they provide jobs, ensure economic welfare in rural and urban areas, deliver climate change mitigation and adaptation services, offer health-related benefits, and protect the biodiversity and prospects of mountainous and rural areas;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the continuing decline in biodiversity has had negative consequences for the delivery of many ecosystem services over the last decades, whereas these declines have occurred in part because of the intensive agriculture and forestry practices, whereas the continuing decline in regulating services can have detrimental consequences for quality of life4a _________________ 4aIPBES(2018): Summary for policymakers of the regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. M. Fischer, M. Rounsevell, A. Torre-Marin Rando, A. Mader, A. Church,M. Elbakidze, V. Elias, T. Hahn. P.A. Harrison, J. Hauck, B. Martín- López, I.Ring, C. Sandström, I. Sousa Pinto, P. Visconti, N.E. Zimmermann and M.Christie (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. available at: https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/ipbes_6 _15_add.4_eca_english.pdf
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas sustainably managed forests are enormously important in guaranteeing jobs in rural areas, representing a benefit for human health, while at the same time making a vital contribution to the environment and biodiversity;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas almost 23% of European forests are to be found in Natura 2000 sites, with the share in some Member States exceeding 50%, and almost half of the natural habitats in Natura 2000 areas are forests;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas according to the latest estimations, only 26% of forest species and 15% of the forest habitats were found to be in favourable conservation status1a; _________________ 1a https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodive rsity/forests/forest-dynamics-in-europe- and
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas it is clear that old growth forests, mixed stand forests and agroforestry offer climate, biodiversity and resilience benefits that exceed those of plantation forestry;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas the demand of authentic wild nature globally is growing, and public support for strict protection of forest ecosystems has increased significantly;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas agroforestry, defined as land use systems in which trees are grown in combination with agriculture on the same land unit, is a suite of land management systems, which boost overall productivity, generate more biomass, maintain and restore soils and provide a number of valuable ecosystem services;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas new climate change adaptation and mitigation options arise, among them proforestation5a _________________ 5aproforestation - growing existing forests intact to their ecological potential, as in William R. Moomaw, 2019: Intact Forests in the United States: Proforestation Mitigates Climate Change and Serves the Greatest Good. In Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Cf. whereas the provisions of the LULUCF Regulation6a accept that carbon pool of deadwood in the forest is analogous to the long-lived harvested wood products as its carbon does not undergo instantaneous oxidisation, whereas deadwood constitutes crucial microhabitats on which number of species, including protected species, are dependent; _________________ 6a Regulation (EU) 2018/841 OF THE EUROPEANPARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 May2018
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)
Recital C h (new)
Ch. whereas the short-term effect of logged forest on climate is negative13a, whereas potential future re-growth of logged site is of no immediate and short- term use in the critical time we have left to act and as such should be disregarded as an argument in the climate and forest policy up to 2050; _________________ 13aG. Englund,; S.-O. Holm;B.-G. Jonsson, D. van der Spoel, 2019: The climate benefit of reduced forest harvesting is enormous
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Takes note of the fact that forests fulfil several, often-conflicting objectives (including regulating water quality, biodiversity protection and providing raw materials for paper, construction and energy), which is why, as a result, many of these forests fall consequently under distinct domains where the EU is competent, such as energy, agriculture, environment, climate and water, and many European Commission Directorates General are engaged in forest related issues1a although forests per se remain outside the realm of EU competences; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Directorates Generals with forest- related competences to work strategically to ensure coherence in any forestry- related work and enhance the sustainable management of forests; as well as to review its organisational structures relevant to forest, agroforestry and the forest-based sector to ensure effective implementation of the strategy; _________________ 1ahttps://www.mdpi.com/1999- 4907/9/3/125/htm#
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the fact that a definition of SFM was agreed as part of the pan- European FOREST EUROPE process; notes that the definition has been incorporated into national legislation and voluntary systems, such as forest certifications, in place in the Member Statehighlights that as a standalone mechanism the Forest Europe process does not have any specific implementation and enforcement mechanisms;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the promotion of SFM in the EU, as part of the EU Forest Strategy and the rural development measures implemented under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), hasmight hadve a positive impact on the biodiversity of forests in the EU and has enhanced the climate benefits offered by the forest-based sector; notes, however, there is no adequate indicator currently applied that could measure the contribution of the CAP, notes that there is still a need to strengthen SFM in a balanced manner in order to ensure that forests are better able to adapt to changing climate conditions and to reduce the risks and impacts of natural disturbances, including by allowing forests to exhibit their natural adaptation mechanisms;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Underlines the crucial importance of forest habitats and their favourable status for implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Stresses therefore particular importance of the Carpathian region and notes that the EU accession to the Carpathian convention would be of relevance to provide support to the region which holds irreplaceable natural values in continental Europe;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Highlights significant unused carbon sequestration potential of European forests;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises that the EU’s forests are multifunctional and characterised by great diversity, including differences in ownership patterns, size, structure, biodiversity, resilience and challenges; points out, in addition, that forests offer society a wide variety of ecosystem services including supporting ecosystem services, raw materials, improved air quality, clean waterdrinking water provision and groundwater recharge, erosion control, and protection from droughts, floods and avalanches, cultural ecosystem services and they foster biodiversity;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that forested areas vary a great deal across the Member States; 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 forest owners in their efforts to maintain and establish native mixed forests characteristic of the local area;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Emphasises, however, that although there are examples of sustainable forest management practices, the major trend is increasing intensity of forestry that leads to biodiversity decline9a _________________ 9aIPBES(2018): Summary for policymakers of the regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. M. Fischer, M. Rounsevell, A. Torre-Marin Rando, A. Mader, A. Church,M. Elbakidze, V. Elias, T. Hahn. P.A. Harrison, J. Hauck, B. Martín- López, I.Ring, C. Sandström, I. Sousa Pinto, P. Visconti, N.E. Zimmermann and M.Christie (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. available at: https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/ipbes_6 _15_add.4_eca_english.pdf
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Notes with concern that at EU level, reported data indicate that energy accounts for 48% of total use of woody biomass1a, reiterates in this respect that significant financial resources are allocated to support schemes for early energy recovery from biomass; _________________ 1aCamia A., Robert N., Jonsson R., Pilli R., García-Condado S., López-Lozano R., van der Velde M., Ronzon T., Gurría P., M’Barek R., Tamosiunas S., Fiore G., Araujo R., Hoepffner N., Marelli L., Giuntoli J., 2018: Biomass production, supply, uses and flows in the European Union. First results from an integrated assessment
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Recalls with concern that increase in harvest is proposed in number of draft national forestry accounting plans, implementing the climate legislation, worries that this is not in line with up-to-date science;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that forests and other wooded areas cover at least 43 % of the surface of the EU and that the sector employs at least 500 000 people directly3 and 2.6 million indirectly in the EU4 ; stresses that this workforce is dependent on a well- preserved and sustainably managed forest ecosystem in the long term; _________________ 3 Eurostat database on forestry, available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/forestry/d ata/database 4European Parliament fact sheet of May 2019 on the European Union and forests.
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points out that the Member States are obliged to undertake sustainable forestry management in their public forest ownership in exemplary fashion; this applies in particular to environmental, economic and social aspects;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recognises that long-term investments in SFMand adequate funding and compensation mechanisms can help ensure that forests´ remain not only economically viablesilience and adaptive capacity and help the forest sector to stay economically viable and environmentally sound, but also contribute to achieving the many goals of the EU, including the successful implementation of the European Green Deal and the transition to a circular bioeconomy;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Acknowledges the crucial climate benefits of forests and the forest-based sector;, highlights the need to increase CO2 sequestration in forests, carbon storage in wood-based products and the substitution of fossil-based materials and energysitu, including in deadwood and forest soil, and in long- lived harvested wood products and the substitution of fossil-based materials and energy provided that payback period of these sources is relevant for the challenges we face, and generates lower emissions per unit of energy than fossil sources;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Acknowledges the crucial climate benefits of forests and the forest-based sector; highlights the need to increase CO2 sequestration in forests and agroforests, and their soils, carbon storage in wood- based products and the substitution of fossil-based materials and energy;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes that wood is the only material capable of sequestering CO2 and calls on the Commission to promote its use in long-life products and as a substitute for energy- and resource- intensive materials such as plastic, aluminium and concrete, particularly in the construction sector; calls for this benefit to be taken into account and rewarded in the EU's revised climate and energy framework;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets the fact that although forests in the EU are managed according to the commonly agreed principle of SFM and forest cover in the EU has been increasing over the past decades, the quality of forests is worsening in many areas; welcomes therefore that a different approach to SFM has been developed in the context of the recently agreed regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment and amending Regulation 2019/2088 on sustainability- related disclosures in the financial services sector;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
The future – the crucial role played by the post-2020 EU Forest Strategy and the European Green Deal in meeting the biodiversity-related and goals of the Paris Agreement
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to create economic and political instruments that will allow more forest to grow to their ecological potential and absorb carbon dioxide;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the Commission’s 2020 Work Programme and especially the acknowledgment of the new EU Forest Strategy’s contribution to the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; stresses, in this regard, that in future, forests should not be considered as the only type of CO2 sink as that would give other sectors less of an incentive to minimise their emissionsnd restoration action should therefore target also e.g. grasslands, wetlands and peatlands in particular; highlights, in addition, the importance of transitioning from a fossil-based to a truly low-carbon society;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Reiterates the call of the European Parliament10a for an EU-wide legally binding target to restore degraded habitats by 2030, including natural forests; _________________ 10aEuropean Parliament resolution of 16 January 2020 on the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2019/2824(RSP))
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Reiterates the call of the European Parliament11a for consistent forest-related policies, which combat biodiversity loss and climate-change impacts, and which lead to an increase of the EU’s natural sinks while protecting, conserving and enhancing biodiversity; _________________ 11aEuropean Parliament resolution of 16 January 2020 on the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2019/2824(RSP))
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Emphasises the crucial role of forests, the forest-based sector and the bioeconomy in achieving the goals of the European Green Deal; stresses that achieving the EU’s environmental and climate goals will never be possible without effectively protected forests and multifunctional, healthy and sustainably managed forests and viable industries; encourages, in addition, actions to increase forest cover; restore and improve the status of forest ecosystems and where appropriate, to increase forest cover to strengthen resilience and support local development;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that maximising sustainable self-sufficiency in wood as a raw material is in the interest of Europe's timber industry; points out that promoting short-rotation plantations might constitute a building-block of the energy transition as a way of reducing the pressure on forests;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that an ambitious, independent and self-standing EU Forest Strategy is needed for the post-2020 period which is not subordinate to any other sectoral strategy EU Forest Strategy building up on the Biodiversity Strategy is needed for the post-2020 period; calls for a new EU Forest Strategy that builds on the holistic approach to SFM, taking into account all of the economic, social and environmental aspects of the forest-based value chain; stresses that a coordinated and coherent approach to forests, the forest-based sector and the multiple services they provide needs to be developed, given the growing number of national and EU policies directly or indirectly affecting forests and their management in the EU;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the Commission to make every effort to ensure, in the implementation of the Regional Development Fund, that particularly initiatives aimed at putting a stop to biodiversity loss in forests, promoting mixed- and native-species planting and improving forest management are fostered, and that projects are implemented and funding is targeted;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Considers that strictly protected areas in non- intervention management regime should be part of the EU Forest Strategy and of local development strategies based on low impact natural tourism and provisioning of non- productive ecosystem services;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Commission to make every effort to ensure that communication in the Member States between forest owners and users, particularly those in the environmental protection, leisure, tourism and hunting sectors, has priority and is supported and promoted at local level; stresses in this connection the role of local partnership schemes, for example in the context of regional forest forums;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes the view that the EU Forest Strategy should act as a bridge between national forest and agroforest policies and EU objectives relating to forests and agroforests, recognising both the need to respect national competence and the need to contribute to wider EU objectives, while coherently addressing the specificities of both private forests and publicly owned ones;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes the view that the EU Forest Strategy should act as a bridge between national forest policies and EU objectives and competences relating to forests, recognising both the need to respect national competence and the need to contribute to wider EU objectives;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Member States to improve national legislation to put in place, or strengthen where necessary, protection against illegal logging and loss of biodiversity;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses the importance of evidence-based decision-making with regard to EU policies relating to forests, the forest-based sector and its value-chain; calls for all forest-related aspects of European Green Deal measures to be consistent with the post-2020 EU Forest Strategy, particularly with a view to ensuring that SFM has a positive impact on societyconsistency of ambition of the post-2020 EU Forest Strategy with the Green Deal, building on Biodiversity Strategy, particularly with a view to ensuring that SFM has a positive impact on society with measurable targets and indicators, including on strict protection of forest area targeting complexity, connectivity and representativeness of forest ecosystems;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Highlights the need to take into consideration the links between the forest- based sector and other sectors as well as the importance of digitalisation and investing in research and innovation, which can positively contribute to further solutions for climate change mitigation and job creation; stresses the crucial role of wood-based materials in substituting fossil-based alternatives in industries such as the construction industry, the textile industry, the chemical industry and the packaging industry;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Takes the view that the cascade model is a forward-looking, resource- efficient principle in forest management; calls on the Commission in this regard to pay particular attention to the cascade model in European funding initiatives; notes that using wood for burning should be the final stage of the cascading use process;
Amendment 322 #
16b. Considers that the EU should encourage the use of locally-sourced timber, harvested wood products or forest biomass in order to minimise the carbon footprint created by transport of imports from third countries and to stimulate sustainable local production and jobs;
Amendment 332 #
17. Stresses that due to climate change, natural disturbances such as droughts, floods, storms, pest infestations, erosion and fires will occur more frequently, causing damage to forests in the EU; emphasises, in this context, the need to better prevent such events by making forests more resilient, for example by encouraging forest grazing and the conversion of at-risk forests to agroforests, through more research and innovation and by offering better support mechanisms for affected areas and properties sto they can beprotect and restored them;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that due to climate change and as a result of man-made changes, natural disturbances such as droughts, floods, storms, pest infestations, erosion and fires will occur more frequently, causing damage to forests in the EU; emphasises, in this context, the need to better prevent such events by makincreasing forests more’ resilientce, for example through research and innovation and by offering better support mechanisms for affected areas and properties so they can be restored;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Given the worrying increased risk of forest fires in Europe, calls on the European Commission to include support for silvopasture (forest grazing) within the agroforestry measure and to encourage Member States to implement it in the next Rural Development programme;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recognises the role of biodiversity in ensuring that forest ecosystems remain healthy and resilient; highlights the importance of the Natura 2000 sites; notes, however, that sufficient financial resources are needed to properly manage such areas; reiterates that strict protection may be needed in some particular cases;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses the crucial importance of the CAP, forestry and agroforestry measures in implementing the EU Forest Strategy; encourages the continuity of forestry and agroforestry measures under the 2021-2027 CAP; highlights the need for other easily accessible, well- coordinated and relevant EU funding mechanisms;
Amendment 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Takes note of the challenge for both farmers and administrators in identifying and monitoring the preservation of landscape features, in particular those aiming to protect scarce woody vegetation; calls on the European Commission to reduce and simplify the administrative requirements, in order to boost woody vegetation promotion and preservation linked to landscape features policies associated with Pillar I and Pillar II payments;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Takes note of the low uptake of the numerous measures within the 2014-2020 Rural Development Regulations designed to support the deliberate integration of woody vegetation with farming; therefore calls on the European Commission to bundle various agroforestry promotion initiatives in the post 2020 Common Agricultural Policy Reform into a unique “agroforestry” measure, which will promote the use of woody component in agrarian and forestry systems;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 e (new)
Paragraph 21 e (new)
21e. Acknowledges the lack of knowledge about agroforestry among many farmers; calls, therefore, on the European Commission to promote EU- wide specialised training programmes, in order to make farmers and female farmers aware of the benefits and the practice of integrating woody vegetation with agriculture at local, regional and global scales;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 h (new)
Paragraph 21 h (new)
21h. Calls on the European Commission to consider the implementation of EU-wide binding graduated forestry techniques from non- intervention in strictly protected areas, to limited interventions such as ecological and hygienic clearing in buffer zones; regrets the unsustainable practices and illegal logging taking place in such areas in some Member States; further calls on the Member States to consider stringent penalties for flagrant violations and a more efficient and rapid implementation of such penalties;
Amendment 421 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Underlines the essential role of high-level research and innovation in fostering the contribution of forests, agroforests and the forest-based sector to overcoming the challenges of our time; stresses the importance of the EU’s post- 2020 research and innovation programmes and recognises the role of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research;
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Highlights the fact that global deforestation, illegal logging and forest degradation, including in Europe, are serious problems; points out that policy initiatives and enforcement mechanisms should be developed and improved to tackle issues outsidein the EU, with a focus on the tropics and the drivers of unsustainable practices in forests from outside the sectordrivers of biodiversity loss in forests with impact on the resilience and adaptation potential, and on illegal logging; stresses the need to foster the implementation of the EU Timber Regulation and the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) action plan in order to prevent the entry of illegally sourced wood into the EU market;
Amendment 437 #
23a. Calls on the Member States to encourage political measures which permit the use only of legally-harvested, sustainable timber in the public procurement of timber, timber products and biomass for energy, in accordance with the EU’s sustainability objectives, thereby ensuring deforestation-free supply chains, with the aim of minimising the loss of tropical forests;
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the need to develop an EU- wide Forest Information System for Europe under the shared responsibility of all of the relevant Commission Directorates-General; stresses the importance of science-based, balanced information with socio-economic indicators for the development of any forest-related EU policy; notes that national forest inventories represent a comprehensive monitoring tool for assessing forestry stocks and take into account regional considerations;
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the need to develop an EU- wide Forest Information System for Europe under the shared responsibility of all of the relevant Commission Directorates-General; stresses the importance of science-based, balanced information with environmental and socio-economic indicators for the development of any forest-related EU policy;
Amendment 459 #
24a. Welcomes the trend toward digitalization in the sector and calls on the European Commission to consider the implementation of an EU-wide digital wood-traceability mechanism for data gathering, consistent transparency, ensuring a level playing field, reducing uncompetitive behaviour and deliberate wrongful action in the wood trade, within and outside the EU, through a verification system; further takes the view that such a verification system would improve compliance, limiting and combating financial fraud, while hampering cartel practices and dismantling illegal logging logistical operations and movement; would further encourage exchanges of good practices with Member States which have already implemented such reforms at national level;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Reiterates the fact that conservation of high-carbon ecosystems, including forests, represents a response option with immediate impact on climate change, unlike afforestation, reforestation and restoration which take more time to deliver12a; calls for policy actions in the EU to be guided by this principle; _________________ 12a IPCC Climate Change and Land Report-Summary for Policymakers, 2019
Amendment 462 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Stresses that the Commission should support the Member States in forest protection and sustainable forest management and calls for appropriate legislation;
Amendment 464 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Calls for strict protection prioritizing the protection of primary and old-growth forests with preserved structure, species richness and adequate area where these forests still persists, and enable and facilitate restoration in high- nature value areas mapped or designated for this purpose;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Amendment 474 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Recalls the pledge of the Commission to zero tolerance to non- compliance, stresses that number of infringement cases currently open against the Member states1a address irreplaceable values of European forest ecosystems and urges the Commission to swiftly act in these; _________________ 1a e.g. Case 2018/4076 against Slovakia, Case 2020/2033 against Romania
Amendment 478 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Urges the Commission to prioritize effective enforcement of the nature legislation as part of the future Strategies, including the use of its prerogative to ask for a decision ordering interim measures and compel compliance through imposition of sanctions and penalty payments when there is a risk of irreparable damage to invaluable and irreplaceable natural values;