51 Amendments of Lena EK related to 2010/2106(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas growing trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere and are a significant source and sink of carbon flows and since European forests are expanding in area, the carbon in woody biomass in Europe is estimated to be expanding at present at a rate of 116 million MT per year,
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), long-term trend of increasing forest coverage in the European Union is stable,
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that forests not only are essential to the environment, but also contribute to the achievement of social and economic objectives, for example by providing timberraw material for timber products, paper, pulp and energy production, improving the general living environment and protecting crops; forests are a major source of funding for rural communities, revenue being generated by activities relating tocontribute significantly to economic growth, jobs and prosperity, especially in rural communities where it is a major source of revenue and provide a livelihood for millions of workers, entrepreneurs and forest owners, including important revenues from forestry, hunting and tourism;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas the diversity of natural conditions between different forest regions in Europe is huge, ranging from sub-arctic to Mediterranean and from alpine to lowland, including flood plains and deltas,
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas forests provide a livelihood for millions of workers, entrepreneurs and forest owners, and contribute significantly to economic growth, jobs and prosperity,
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas in 2005, the sector had a turnover of about EUR 380 billion, which equals to around 9 percent of GDP in Europe,
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
Ag. whereas sustainable forest management, including forest protection, is crucial for keeping the forest diverse, healthy and resilient,
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
Ah. whereas actively and sustainably managed forests are one of the most effective ways to store CO2 from the atmosphere,
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital A i (new)
Recital A i (new)
Ai. whereas the forest sector is especially important in rural areas and the 350 000 enterprises in the forest-based industries employ about 3 million people, i.e. 8.6 percent of the total manufacturing labour force in Europe,
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes the potential added value of European coordination on forest information, supervision on climate change, adaptation targets, mitigation targets, renewable energy targets and best practices for multifunctional and sustainable forest management, in particular given the cross-border nature of the challenges;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that agriculture is vulnerable to climate change, the manifestations of which have been increasing in number, frequency and intensity, deforestation having been taking place in numerous regions of Europe; notes, however, that according to the study "State of Europe's Forests 2007", the area in Europe covered by forests has increased by approximately 13 million hectares over the course of the last 15 years; forests also play an important role in terms of watercourse regulation, water quality standards and the protection of vital springs, all of which are of relevance to agriculture;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that active and sustainable forest management is important for its contribution to rural economies and job creation, as well as EU energy strategy; the great potential of forests as a renewsustainable source of energy is currently being underexploited; accordingly welcomes the Commission's public consultation initiative regarding the role of agriculture and forestry in achieving climate-change objectives; calls on the Commission to propose ways of extending these strategies to include the reduction of carbon emissions and carbon sequestration by means of land use and land-use change and forestry (LULUCF);
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas growing trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere and are a significant source and sink of carbon flows and since European forests are expanding in area, the carbon in woody biomass in Europe is estimated to be expanding at present at a rate of 116 million MT per year,
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that excessive regulation will make timber products less competitive compared to non-renewable and energy intensive materials, such as plastics, aluminium and concrete, and will thus hurt the EU's possibilities to reach the climate targets;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Stresses the need to respect the different challenges for forestry policies across the EU; notes in particular the different eco-systems, differences in forest ownership structure and the diversity of climate challenges facing different parts of Europe; points to the need to take measures and conduct monitoring at an appropriate level: local, regional, Member State or the EU;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas energy generation from solid biomass and biowaste is projected to be 58% of EU renewables by 2020, leading to an intensification of forestry practices and inforestry biomass share is expected to decreases in the ratio of felling to increment to over 100%relative terms unlike waste and agricultural biomass,
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that agriculture and forestry can be made to function as an integrated whole; while the aspects relating to production are essential, they are not inconsistent with the protection of forests or the other benefits deriving from them; it is necessary to strike the correct balance between the two and ensure interaction between them, for examplewhich can be achieved through sustainable forest management and in exceptional circumstances through the more efficient allocation of available funding; European forestry policy on the level of the Member States; European forestry initiatives supporting public goods, particularly under the second pillar of the CAP, must be continued with an adequate level of funding under the post-2013 CAP;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas energy generation from solid biomass and biowaste is projected to be 58% of EU renewables by 2020, leading to an intensification of forestry practices andand thus will lead to increased demands ion the ratio of felling to increment to over 100%forestry sector to practice Sustainable Forest Management,
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Points out the need for the Commission to swiftly deal with the discrepancies between the objectives of legislation affecting forests and agriculture policy; calls for cohesion between different EU policies, especially on forestry and agriculture but also on policies on renewable energy, biodiversity, industry, research and the Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that farmers are helping to increase areas under forest by planting trees, using stratified agro-forestry systems or involving the forestation of poor quality soil or soil unsuitable for efficient methods of farming, as well as contributing to the provision of cuertain protection systems and the identification of hardy species; the EU should continue to provide aid for forestation under the national rural development programmes, while making sure these initiatives do not interfere with the market;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6a (new)
Paragraph 6a (new)
6a. Stresses that, since forest legislation affects millions of small forest owners, forest polices should always balance the respect with the owners' property rights with the requirements for delivering public goods;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the increasing long- term trend of forest coverage in Europe is stable and the current ratio of felling/planting is around 75 percent in Eastern Europe and 70 percent in Western Europe,
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that the European Union can take action to support, coordinate and supplement forestry policy initiatives by the Member States through information and monitoring efforts, the objective being to achieve the sustainable development of forests, while helping to enhance quality of life for European citizens by consolidating all the economic, social, cultural and environmental goods and services provided by forests; these efforts should pay maximum attention to the different regional conditions for forestry and, especially, take different opportunities and threats for forest environments in northern and southern Europe into consideration;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas forests constitute live and evolutionary ecosystems often cutting across state borders which may be classified according to bioclimatic zone and forest type, following the forest nomenclature developed by the EEA,
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Observes that climate change will have different consequences for different European forest types, as the diversity of natural conditions between different forest regions in Europe is huge, ranging from sub-arctic to Mediterranean and from alpine to lowland, including flood plains and deltas; which means that adaptation strategies must be decided on at regional or local level, but where there is a clear surplus value of community action, the strategies could be coordinated at EU level; takes the view that national forestry plans must be subject to specific and quantifiable ex ante and ex post evaluation criteria;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that forests are of major benefitcontribute greatly in terms of public goods, for which the market reward is insufficient; the European Union should provide assistanceincentives to forest owners from funding instruments as a reward for their efforts to implement measures to protect the genetic diversity of forests; reaffirms Parliament's view regarding the need for EU-funded support payments for additional areas, thereby rewarding farmers for reducing carbon emissions per production unit and/or increasthrough, for example, rural development programmes, research funding, exchange of best practices and long-term standard setting to protect the genetic diversity of forests; reaffirms Parliament's view regarding the need for adequate levels of funding to EU forestry measures; emphasises that these European incentive mechanisms should not interfere with the well functioning cmarbon storage in the soil, using sustainableket for timber products, paper, pulp and energy production methods;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that forestry is closely related to agriculture, given that most forest owners in Europe are also farmers, taking however into account the restructuring of society, and thus the increased number of urban forest owners;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses that, since forest legislation affects millions of small forest owners, forest polices should always balance the respect for the owners' property rights with the requirements for delivering public goods;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the EU FAP has four goals: improving long-term competitiveness, protecting the environment, contributing to quality of life and fostering coordination and whereas significant progress has not been made mainly in achieving the firstse goal,s;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. AdvocReiterates the wider application of Article 68 of Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 of 19 January 2009 in respect of forestalready existing possibility for Member States to grant specific support to forest owners, for example, for protection or enhancement of the environment or for addressing specific problems to forest owners in disadvantaged areas;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the need to draw up and promote good practice guidelines with regard to forestry, so as to help ensure that forests are able to withstand the effects of climate change; such guidelines should be adapted to the needs of owners and local communities and based on the principles of sustainable management; stresses that excessive regulation will make timber products less competitive compared to non-renewable and energy intensive materials, such as plastics, aluminium and concrete, and will thus hurt the EU's possibilities to reach the climate targets;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers it necessary to improve and encourage associations of forest owners so as to improve communication between them and provide them with consultancy services, taking into account the changing structure of forest owners;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that the EU should suppprovide incentives fort sustainable forest management through funding for forestry activities of benefit to it; special attention should be given in this respect to forestry undertakings, most of which are small or medium sizedtechnology transfers between Member States and information efforts; special attention should be given in this respect to small or medium sized forestry undertakings; they must be encouraged to modernise and restructure in order to meet the new challenges arising from climate change and the economic crisis;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that the EU should support sustainable forest management through funding for forestry activities of benefit to it; special attention should be given in this respect to forestry undertakings, most of which aretaking into account the global forest industry companies and small orand medium -sized entrepreneurship; they must be encouraged to modernise and restructure in order to meet the new challenges arising from climate change and the economic crisis;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Green Paper on Forest Protection and Information; considers that EU Strategy on forests should be strengthened with a view to improving the national management and conservation of forests, in accordance with the subsidiarity principle;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the Commission’s view that forests should be seen as a major contributor to solving the climate crisis; emphasises that sustainable forest management is of pivotal importance for the EU to achieve its climate goals and deliver necessary ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, protection against natural disasters, and capturing of CO2 from the atmosphere;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its concerns regarding forest fires, which are a serious problem in parts of Europe, and the need to take action to prevent any deterioration in the natural composition of forests as a result of excessivthe forestations;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is convinced that ecological sustainability is the prerequisiteSustainable Forest Management is important for the continuation of the economic and social functions of EU forests;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that, since forest legislation affects millions of small forest owners, forest policies should always balance respect for the owners' property rights with the requirements for delivering public goods;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recognises the important contributions to sustainable forestry by existing global certification schemes, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC);
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission and Member States to intensify efforts to achieve the environment and quality of life goals of the FAP, the implementation of which is currently lagging behindall the four objectives of the FAP according to the key recommendations in the Report of the Mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the EU Forest Action Plan;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Advocates that active SFM should be made mandatory in the EU in the context of five-yearpromoted by relevant Members States with National Forest Programmes incorporating regional priorities and measurable targets and evaluation criteria;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that sustainable management which includes genetic diversity, natural regeneration and diversity in structure and species mixture are common elements in forest adaptation options, cuttingshould be applied across all bioclimatic zones, management systems and forest types in order to guarantee economic viability;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal forevaluate a framework for the climate adaptation of EU forests;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that excessive regulation will make timber products less competitive compared to non-renewable and energy intensive materials, such as plastics, aluminium and concrete, and will thus harm the possibility of the EU reaching its climate targets;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Commission to report toconsider an EU-wide study to present to the Parliament and the Council on options for the introduction of payments for ecosystem services taking into account the role of forestation, biodiversity conservation and SFM;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the Commission to present a legislative proposal for coordination on Forest Information, taking into account climate threats and the need for harmonised and comparable data in the context of the UNFCCC, CBD, and environmental accounts; points out that such a system should be compatible with already existing efforts within FAO/COFO, UNECE and Forest Europe, and in that context can only be justified if a clear added European value exist;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Stresses the need to respect the principle of subsidiarity and the role of local and national governments on forest policy; notes that due to the diversity of the climate challenges facing different parts of Europe, the divergence in forest ownership and the differences in conditions within the Union, a common EU-policy runs the risk of being too broad to be useful in achieving the climate adaptation needed;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls onAsks the Commission to developabstain from legally binding sustainability criteria for woody biomass, and ILUC factors for all forms of biomasss the additional administrative burden of such a regulation would possibly hinder the supply of biomass for energy use and thus threaten the goal of increasing the share of renewable energy sources in Europe, as set out in the Renewable Energy Directive; points to the ongoing process for establishing criteria for biomass within Forest Europe as a good alternative;