Activities of Elsi KATAINEN related to 2022/2016(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – Sustainable Forest Management in Europe (debate)
Amendments (67)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
— having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 08/12/2021 on the report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘New EU Forest Strategy for 2030"’,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 b (new)
Citation 21 b (new)
— having regard to the number of projects and practices to coordinate forest information in Europe (European National Forest Inventory Network (ENFIN), FUTMON project, DIABOLO project, European Atlas of Forest Tree Species Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) programme),
Amendment 30 #
A. whereas the EU has set the binding target of reaching climate neutrality by 20501a; whereas the EU is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement; whereas forests and forest-based industries will play a major role in achieving these SDGs and Paris Agreement targets; _________________ 1a Regulation (EU) 1119/2021.
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the TFEU makes no reference to a common EU forest policy and therefore forest policy remains at Member States' competence; whereas Article 4 TFEU provides for a shared competence on environmental policy; whereas due to the specificextremely high diversity of the EU’s forests with regard to bio-geography, structure, size, biodiversity and ownership patterns, where environmental policy touches upon forests, it is necessary to duly apply the principle of subsidiarity and proportionality in the development and implementation of the new EU forest strategy (the strategy) and relevant EU legislation;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas the INTEGRATE network is a platform of representatives of different European countries, accompanied by scientific advice, initiated by several Member State governments and supported by the Commission’s Standing Forestry Committee and has served to- date as an important driver of identifying means to integrate nature conservation in sustainable forest management; whereas the platform’s work has played an important role in the exchange of experiences and best practices;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
C c. whereas the Horizon 2020 funded ALTERFOR project considered the potential to optimise forest management methods currently in use and presented alternative forest management models with opportunities and challenges listed for each alternative;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
C e. whereas wood-based products contribute to climate change mitigation by storing carbon and substituting products with a large carbon footprint, including building- and packaging materials, textiles, chemicals and fuels; whereas wood-based products are renewable and to a large extend recyclable and as such have a huge potential to support a circular bioeconomy; whereas this makes the forestry sector and the forest-based industries key actors in a green economy;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
C g. whereas forest ownership across Europe is diverse in terms of size and ownership structure, including various forms of private and public ownership, leading to a great diversity of management models; whereas it is important that measures under the strategy take due account of the specific conditions and needs, as well as the protection of property rights and free enterprise in order to be effective;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas about 60 % of the EU’s forests are owned by 16 million private forest owners, of whom a significant share are small-holders; whereas involving and motivating these owners through a comprehensive policy and legislative framework, based on the recognition of their property rights, experience as managers and specific challenges, will be key to achieving the strategy’s targets, including the provision of climate and other ecosystem services; emphasizes the need to avoid administrational burden on all actors.
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas about 60 % of the EU’s forests are owned by 16 million private forest owners1a, of whom a significant share are small-holders1b; whereas involving and motivating these owners through a comprehensive policy and legislative framework, based on the recognition of their property rights, experience as managers and specific challenges, will be key to achieving the strategy’s targets, including the provision of climate and other ecosystem services; _________________ 1a Commission communication of 16 July 2021 on the “New EU Forest Strategy for 2030” (COM(2021) 572). 1b Europe: a majority of private holdings are up to 10 ha, FOREST EUROPE report on the “State of Europe’s Forests 2020” of 2020; DE: 50% of privately owned forest smaller than 20 ha, https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downlo ads/DE/Broschueren/bundeswaldinventur 3.pdf;jsessionid=972A5297B9463D98948 E787D1AA78F19.live921?__blob=public ationFile&v=3; FR: about 2/3 of private owners have less than 1 ha, https://franceboisforet.fr/wp- content/uploads/2021/04/Brochure_chiffr esClesForetPrivee_2021_PageApage_BD. pdf; FI: about 45% of owners have less than 10 ha, https://www.luke.fi/en/natural- resources/forest/forest-resources-and- forest-planning/forest-ownership/; LV: 50 % of owners have less than 5 ha, https://www.zm.gov.lv/public/ck/files/MA F_parskats_Silava_privat_meza_apsaimn _monitorings.pdf
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas most recent data gathered under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive indicates that only 49 % of forests habitats have a good conservation status; whereas focusing solely on aggregated data might be insufficient to identify and address key information on the most urgent issues and it is therefore necessary to consult more specific indicators especially created by FOREST EUROPE, on trends in condition and pressures; whereas these indicators do not support an overall negative assessment of the state of the EU’s forests, but show both positive and negative trends that require nuanced responses;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas most recent data gathered under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive1a indicates that only 49 % of forests habitats haveare in a good conservation statusdition1b; whereas focusing solely on aggregated data might be insufficient to identify and address key information on the most urgent issues and it is therefore necessary to consult more specific indicators on trends in condition and pressures; whereas these indicators do not support an overall negative assessment of the state of the EU’s forests, but show both positive and negative trends1c that require nuanced responses; _________________ 1a Council Directive 92/43/EEC. 1b Commission communication of 16 July 2021 on the “New EU Forest Strategy for 2030” (COM(2021) 572). 1c Joint Research Centre report “Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services: An EU ecosystem assessment” (the MAES report) of 2020, for trends in condition see also FOREST EUROPE report on the “State of Europe’s Forests 2020” of 2020.
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. whereas in order to deliver on the multiple forest functions including various benefits provided by products of the forest-based industries in an increasingly complex environment, the collection and maintenance of transparent and reliable high-quality data, the exchange of knowledge and best practices, as well as adequately funded and well-coordinated research are of central importance to meet the challenges and yield opportunities;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
E c. whereas criteria and indicators to define sustainable forest management commonly used in the EU are based on pan-European cooperation within the FOREST EUROPE process to which all Member States and the European Commission are signatories; whereas as part of its ongoing work programme, FOREST EUROPE has initiated a reassessment of the definition of sustainable forest management; whereas FOREST EUROPE collects and provides information on the status and trends in forests and forestry based on the criteria for sustainable forest management;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
E d. whereas on international level, the FAO is the main forum for the development of internationally agreed definitions on forests and forestry; whereas the FAO collects and provides data on forests and forestry; whereas the European Commission and Member States contribute to the work of the FAO;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the new EU forest strategy and its ambition to increase the balanced contribution of multi-functional forests to the targets of the Green Deal and of achieving a circular economy and climate neutrality by 2050; acknowledges that forest-related climate and biodiversity aspects are well reflected in the New EU Forest Strategy, but the total potential of forests and the forest sector, including the economic and social aspects of sustainability are not presented in a balanced way; stresses the need to correct this balance when setting targets for forests and the forest sector as in addition to climate and biodiversity goals, forests provide economic and social benefits and wide range of services from livelihoods to recreation;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the new EU forest strategy and its ambition to increase the balanced contribution of multi-functional forests to the targets of the Green Deal and of achieving a circular economy and climate neutrality by 2050; highlight the importance of an balanced and solid scientific based strategy and vision for the forest-based sector, considering all three dimensions of sustainability in an integrated and balanced way;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Regrets that the new EU Forest Strategy was not properly developed together with the European Parliament, Member States and stakeholders and that the positions of the co-legislators were not adequately taken into account, stresses the importance of strengthen co-operation in terms of implementing the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises that the maintenance and, protection and sustainable use of healthy and resilient forests is a fundamental goal of all actors in forestry and the forest-based value chain, as well a key priority for people in the EU;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. IHighlights the continuous growing stock in European forests that differs from the global deforestation trend1a; acknowledges the efforts of all actors across the forest-based value chain that contributed to this development; is concerned by the increasing pressure on the EU’s forests and their habitats, mainly driven by climate change, and stresses the urgent need to increase forest and ecosystem resilience; , including by measures for adaptation to climate change, and to reduce pressures where feasible; notes with concern that the vulnerability of Europe’s forests to invasive pests and pathogens seems to have increased and that outbreaks are a threat to sequestered carbon1b; _________________ 1a FOREST EUROPE report on the “State of Europe’s Forests 2020” of 2020. 1b Science for Environment Policy (2021) European Forests for biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation. Future Brief 25. Brief produced for the European Commission DG Environment by the Science Communication Unit, UWE Bristol. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/ science-environment-policy.
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that the EU’s forests are characterised by diverse natural conditions, such as biogeography, size, structure and biodiversity, as well as in ownership patterns, forms of governance, challenges and opportunities, and that they have been formed by centuries of human intervention and management; stresses that in implementation all types of forests and situations require differing approaches in terms of forest management and the delivery of ecosystem services;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses that forest policy falls firmly within the national competence of Member States, and therefore details related to forest management need to be adjusted at national and regional level with a bottom up approach whereby sustainable forest management happens most effectively through the use of best knowledge of local natural conditions;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises the complexity of assessing the state of forests, as well as the uneven availability and quality of data and therefore stresses the need for continuous policy and scientific dialogue at all levels to improve data collection and harmonisation where appropriate;
Amendment 189 #
5 a. Highlights the contribution to-date of forest owners and actors across the forest-based value chain to the efforts to achieve a sustainable and climate neutral economy by 2050 and the value of generational and historic knowledge and expertise in forestry and sustainable forest management;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recognises the key role of forests in protecting the climate and biodiversity; underlines that the multi-functional role of forests comprises multiple socioeconomic functions, such as the provision of renewable raw materials, which leads to jobs and economic growth in rural and urban areas, the provision of clean water and air, protection against natural hazards and recreational value; stresses that the implementation of the strategy must ensure a balanced provision of all services and maintain and enhance competitiveness and innovation; underlines that the successful provision of services requires sustainable active management;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Believes that the key principle of balancing multiple forest functions and of defining goals and measures towards the achievement of all ecosystem services should be to seek maximising synergies and minimising trade-offs built on evidence-based information;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that forests contribute to climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration, carbon storage and the substitution of wood and wood products for fossil fuels and derived products and other products with high environmental and carbon footprints; notes that the strategy has a particular focus on storage in the construction sector and believes its implementation should clearly support a broader use of different options for storage and substitution, in line with the goals of the bioeconomy strategyregardless of life-span of products and based on science-based and robust life-cycle assessments, in line with the goals of the bioeconomy strategy and the industrial strategy and to unlock the full potential of forest-based products in strengthening the circular economy and in the fight against climate change;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that forests contribute to climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration, carbon storage and the substitution of wood and all wood products for fossil fuels and derived products; notes that the strategy has a particular focus on storage in the construction sector and believes its implementation should support a broader use of different options for substitution, in line with the goals of the bioeconomy strategy; emphasizes the role of research on substitution of fossil-based materials and fossil fuels.
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights that for wood-based products to contribute optimally to climate change mitigation and a circular economy requires that they be used in the most efficient and sustainable way; believstresses that the cascading principall sustainable wood-based materials and products play an important role8 is a good guideline for efficient use, but must not use a static approach and therefore must be adjusted regularly to reflect innovative usesn the green transition, independently of their lifespans; recalls that long-and short-lived products are produced simultaneously as the whole tree is used in are source efficient way and underline that EU legislation should not define the end-use of raw materials, or set up or define a cascading principle; stresses that a well- functioning, un- distorted market incentivises the efficient use of wood- based resources; _________________ 8 As outlined in the Commission’s ‘Guidance on cascading use of biomass with selected good practice examples on woody biomass’.
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights that for wood-based products to contribute optimally to climate change mitigation and a circular economy requires that they be used in the most efficient and sustainable way; believes that the cascading principle8 is a good guideline for efficient use, but must not use a static approach and therefore must be adjusted regularly to reflect innovative uses; stresses that a well-functioning, un- distorted market incentivises the efficient use of wood- based resources; _________________ 8 As outlined in the Commission’s ‘Guidance on cascading use of biomass with selected good practice examples on woody biomass’.
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the importance of a reliable supply of wood, wood-based products and forest-based biomass to achieve the EU’s sustainability goals, including the green growth and jobs goal of the Green Deal, and notes that the demand is expected to continue to grow1a; believes that the EU’s forestry sector provide some of the most sustainably sourced raw materials; calls on the Commission to consider displacement effects and effects on competitiveness of the forestry sector and the forest-based industries, as well as to monitor any effects on the availability of wood following the implementation of measures under the strategy; _________________ 1a Hetemäki, L., Palahí, M. and Nasi, R. 2020. Seeing the wood in the forests. Knowledge to Action 01, European Forest Institute. ttps://doi.org/10.36333/k2a01; also see WWF Living Forests Report, Chapter 5, https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/ forests_practice/forest_publications_news _and_reports/living_forests_report/.
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the importance of a reliable supply of wood, wood-based products and forest-based biomass to achieve the EU’s sustainability goals and notes that the demand is expected to continue to grow; believes that the EU’s forestry sector provide the most sustainably sourced raw materials; calls on the Commission to consider displacement effects and monitor any effects on the availability of wood following the implementation of measures under the strategy; after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, highlights the crucial importance of the EU’s security of supply and own raw material production.
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Amendment 265 #
12. Recalls that 2.1 million people work in the forest-based sector, while the extended forest-based value chain supports 4 million jobs in the green economy1a; calls on the Commission and the Member States to monitor and assess the effects of a shift in the balance of forest functions on the overall employment situation; , in rural areas as well as in down-stream parts of the wood-processing industries, and highlights the need to maintain or improve the attractiveness of employment in the sector as well as work-place safety when considering changes in management practices; _________________ 1a Commission communication of 16 July 2021 on the “New EU Forest Strategy for 2030” (COM(2021) 572).
Amendment 286 #
13. Takes note of the Commission’s announcement on developing additional voluntary indicators and threshold values for sustainable forest management which shall remain voluntary for Member States to implement at national and regional level; underlines the need to align the Commission’s work with that of FOREST EUROPE and the Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as to engage with the Member States to ensure that indicators and value ranges are fit-for-purpose for their application at the local level under specific bio-geographic conditions;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights that pressure on forests from natural disasters and other disturbances is being increasingly intensified by climate change and that strengthening forests’ resilience is a matter of urgency and underline that that in order to create more resilient forests, forests needs to be managed by adapting them to a changing climate and emphasis that as forests are biologically very complex, it is not possible to make general claims about, for example, even-aged forests being worse off in relation to climate change than uneven-aged ones; notes the role that restoration and afforestation can play in strengthening resilience and enhancing biodiversity; notes that sustainable forest management consists of a broad array of actions and adaptive practices, many of which can play a key role in climate mitigation; stresses that adaptive forest management is site- specific and acknowledges that varying forest conditions and forest types require different management regimes and that practices should be decided nationally, regionally or locally;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights that pressure on forests from natural disasters and other disturbances is being increasingly intensified by climate change and that strengthening forests’ resilience and adaptation is a matter of urgency; notes the role that restoration and afforestation can play in strengthening resilience and enhancing biodiversity; notes that sustainable forest management as a dynamic concept consists of a broad array of actions and adaptive practices, many of which can play a key role in the climate mitigation potential of forests as well as offering measures, such as introducing better adapted species and provenances, strengthening forests’ contributions to the water cycle, sanitary fellings to contain pests, pathogens and invasive species, forest fire prevention and maintenance of protective functions, whilst underpinning their multifaceted nature and other roles;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights that pressure on forests from natural disasters and other disturbances is being increasingly intensified by climate change and that strengthening forests’ resilience is a matter of urgency; notes the role that restoration and afforestation can play in strengthening resilience and enhancing biodiversity; notes that sustainable forest management consists of a broad array of actions and adaptive practices, many of which can play a key role in climate mitigation; the Member States’ varying forests and climate conditions require differentiated sustainable forest management practices, that should be developed nationally, regionally and locally.
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Emphasises that in many cases, forest protection requires sustainable active management, as unmanaged forests more likely suffer from disturbances such as forest fires, pests and other damage; underlines that this includes enhancing biodiversity;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Underlines that levels of protection are part of the sustainable forest management toolbox and stresses that as part of protection certain forms of intervention might be required, for instance to address natural disaster hazards or adaptation needs;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes note of the ongoing work on guidance for ‘closer-to-nature’ forestry by the Working Group on Forests and Nature; believes that to ensure added value, guidance on this concept should incorporate results-oriented, scientifically and locally proven sustainable forest management practices to give managers the tools to yield connections and cooperation on better integrating biodiversity protection with improved management practices; highlights that forests do have very different characteristics within the Union and therefore there is a strong need for different policy and management approaches;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes note of the ongoing work on voluntary guidance for ‘closer-to-nature’ forestry by the Working Group on Forests and Nature; believes that to ensure added value, guidance on this concept should incorporate results-oriented, scientifically and locally proven sustainable forest management practices to give forest owners and managers the tools to yield connections and cooperation on better integrating biodiversity protection with improved management practices;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reiterates its call for the protection and further research of primary and old- growth forests and stresses the need toat the Member States should create a definition for what constitutes old-growth forests; welcomes the ongoing work of the Working Group on Forests and Nature and underlines the need to consider a diverse set of attributes and ensure flexibility to account for specific conditions in bio- geographic regions and forest types;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the European agricultural fund for rural development is the main source of support for forestry measures; further notes that between 2014 and 2020, Member States only spent 49 % of the available funds, and that the Commission has identified administrative burden, insufficient attractiveness of the premiums and a lack of advisory services as reasons for this low usage; underlines that support to voluntary nature conservation measurement by forest owners achieves several objectives, such as biodiversity preservation, preservation of the carbon stock and habitat conservation, while being in line with the ownerships right and subsidiarity principle;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Points out that the forestry sector operates primarily as a market-based sector; stresses that putting a stronger emphasis on other ecosystem services should not lead to an increased dependency on subsidies and encourages the Commission and Member States to further pursue the development of market-based payment for ecosystem services schemes, such as carbon farming; highlight in the light of the initiative on carbon farming that active sustainable forest management is the guarantee for both the carbon stock and the forest growth; stresses that carbon forest removals should focus on incentives for forest owners and managers to invest in active forest management, promoting regeneration and increased growth; emphasises that initiatives should be carefully designed in order to not lead to passive forestry as the capacity to remove carbon declines with the ageing of trees and the closing of forest canopies; stresses that carbon removals are not the only way to incentivise forests´ contribution to climate change;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Points out that the forestry sector operates primarily as a market-based sector; stresses that putting a stronger emphasis on other ecosystem services should not lead to an increased dependency on subsidies and encourages the Commission and Member States to further pursue the development of market-based payment for ecosystem services schemes, such as carbon farming; and carbon removal certificates, which should incentivise active and sustainable forest management, new innovations and versatile use of wood in products to sequestrate and storage carbon taking into account the potential of side streams; stresses that carbon removal certificates should be based on solid financial framework, accounting rules, market- based design and funding from public and private resources, while CAP-funding must mainly remain targeted for food production and ensuring food security in the Union;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Acknowledges the important contribution of existing market-driven certification schemes to the further uptake of sustainable forest management; takes note of the Commission’s announcement on developing a ‘closer-to-nature’ certification schemrelies on consumer demand and preferences to shape the development on these schemes also in the future; encourages the Commission to cooperate with existing certification schemes and believes that to create added value, the certification must offer foresters a price premium for the provision of ecosystem services;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights that to unlock the full potential of forests to contribute to climate and circular economy targets of the EU, further research and development in the field of bio-based alternatives to fossil-based products are required and should be incentivised;and innovation in the fields management practices and of bio-based alternatives to fossil-based products and other products with a large carbon footprint are required and should be incentivised; notes that development cycles in the sector may last 10 years or longer and underlines that a predictable and stable regulatory environment is a precondition to attracting investments; highlights that many innovations in the sector have high added value and provide high quality employment in rural areas as well as in the wood-processing industries and underlines the role of SME in the field;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights that to unlock the full potential of forests to contribute to climate and circular economy targets, further research and development in the field of bio-based alternatives to fossil-based products are required and should be incentivised; underlines that a predictable regulatory environment is a precondition to attracting investments; encourages to continue supporting innovations related to wood, such as wood-based textiles that have high potential to substitute synthetic textile fibres and cotton.
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Believes that to improve the coordinated provision of environmental and economic forest services, relevant EU framework programmes must be better aligned; programmes, including Horizon Europe, LIFE, EIP-AGRI, LEADER and EIT, must be better aligned; welcomes the Commission proposal to enhance EU cooperation by proposing a Research and Innovation partnership on forestry and calls on the Commission to develop comprehensive forest-focussed programmes including different functions and parts of the forest-sector value chain and including living-labs to test and demonstrate solutions for key challenges, building on existing and proven platforms such as the INTEGRATE network, the Forest-Technology Platform and including pan-European and international partners;
Amendment 436 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses thatRecalls that 60 % of EU forests are privately owned and a significant share of forest owners are small-holders; stresses that in order to achieve the Strategy’s goals, the implementation of the strategy must focus on enabling small- holders to deliver on the multiple forest functions and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that support programmes, payment for ecosystem services schemes and research funding are attractive and easily accessible to small-holders;
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Highlights that cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, including citizens and civil society will be crucial in fulfilling the objectives of the EU Forest Strategy; Encourages Member States and the European Commission to ensure an inclusive representation of all stakeholders in the consultation process and to urge the environmental and forestry stakeholders to reach out to broader segments of population through various educational tools and programmes.
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Underlines that the availability of advisory services are an important driver for the dissemination of sustainable forest management practices; encourages Member States to ensure the availability of advisory services, with particular attention to small-holders;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Underlines the importance of the forestry sector and the wood-based industries as a provider of jobs in rural communities as well as in urban areas through downstream uses and notes with concern the steady decline in employment and the high number of accidents in the sector1a; calls on the Commission and the Member States to monitor the effects of measures taken under the strategy on employment and work safety and highlights the importance of making this type of employment attractive, taking measures to increase the safety of work and adequately training workers; in the light of changing management practices, considering that discussed options often go hand in hand with higher (physical) labour intensity which also bears more risks for workers, which requires high quality vocational training as well as upskilling and reskilling opportunities; highlights the importance of making this type of employment attractive, taking measures to increase the safety of work and adequately training workers; calls on Member States to assess their advisory services in this respect and re-enforce where necessary; _________________ 1a FOREST EUROPE report on the “State of Europe’s Forests 2020” of 2020.
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Emphasises that forest ecosystems provide a multitude of services to society. They are not only an important recreational area, but also offer protection against natural hazards, filter air and water, and supply renewable raw materials; calls therefore on the Commission to acknowledges that forest owners and managers need a large extend of freedom in their forest management practise, which should be based on best practices, scientific evidence and national, regional and local experience and knowledge, in order for forest owners and managers to provide all the demanded ecosystem services, for which an active sustainable management is necessary;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Stresses the importance of attracting young people and women in the sector and welcomes the Commission proposals to promote the establishment of a skills partnership under the Pact for Skills and make use of the European Social Fund Plus to work together to develop quality jobs and improve working conditions, as well as to increase the number of upskilling and reskilling opportunities in forestry;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Stresses that to attract young people as well as investments to the sector and throughout the value chain, a favourable environment in rural areas including digital, transport and community infrastructure is required and calls on Member States to use available funds to support the rural development in this regard;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the importance of accurate, integrated and up-to-date data on Europe’s forests and takes note of the initiative for a legislative proposal for a framework on forest observation, reporting and data collection; underlines that the broad availability, high quality and transparency of data are preconditions to meeting the goals of the strategy and believes that to deliver added value the framework must build on existing mechanisms and processes through a bottom-up approach to best use the expertise and experience present in the Member Statessuch as the national forest inventories, the Forest Information System for Europe (FISE), the ENFIN network, FOREST EUROPE and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) through a bottom-up approach to best use the expertise and experience present in the Member States and while avoiding the duplication of work and administrative burden and costs; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure adequate funding and human resources for operative support for the framework;
Amendment 468 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Highlights that forest information should be easily available, and cooperation on harmonisation of reporting should be continued, data collection and analysing should be based on national forest inventories, remote sensing techniques and provide complementary information to field measurements, however many characteristics of forests can be only verified on the ground, and science based- policies need to be based on reality, therefore national capacities on forest monitoring are needed relying the best practices already available at Member State level;
Amendment 470 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
Amendment 479 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Takes note of the idea to introduce strategic plans for forests under the framework on forest observation, reporting and data collection; further notes that several Member States already have national strategies for forests in place; calls on the Commission to ensure that the legislative proposal duly acknowledges work already done at Member State level, and where relevant on local level and to assess how this tool could be used to support particularly those Member States that do not yet have national strategies in place;
Amendment 481 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Takes note of the idea to introduce strategic plans for forests under the framework on forest observation, reporting and data collection; further notes that several Member States already have national strategies for forests in place; calls on the Commission to give priority to the existing national strategies over strategic plans on EU level.
Amendment 489 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. BStresses that the governance of forests and the forestry regulation are responsibilities of the Member States; believes that due to the multi- functional contribution of forests to high- level EU goals and the different administrative levels and stakeholder groups involved, the cornerstones of the strategy’s implementation must be close cooperation and the exchange of best practices with national and regional experts, stakeholders, forest managers, scientists and civil society, and fully and actually comply with the principle of subsidiarity; underlines that governance must take EU and Member State engagement in international processes into account;
Amendment 503 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Underlines that the achievement of the Strategy’s goals depends on measures that are adapted to local conditions and challenges; therefore, calls on the Commission and Member States to facilitate the exchange of best practices at all levels and to strengthen stakeholder dialogue, particularly including forest managers, science and civil society groups;
Amendment 515 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Expresses its concern about reports of illegal logging and calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase their efforts to effectively implement relevant national and EU legislation; Stresses that illegal logging has major economic, social and environmental negative impact and generate revenue losses for local communities; Calls on the European Commission and Member States to expand the European Public Prosecutor Office mandate to environmental crimes, including illegal logging.