48 Amendments of Paolo DE CASTRO related to 2022/2016(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
— having regard to Commission communication of 30th of June 2021 on a Long-term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas - Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 20401a; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /strategy/strategy_documents/documents/l tvra-c2021-345_en.pdf
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 b (new)
Citation 10 b (new)
— having regard to the Draft Commission Regulation declaring certain categories of aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and repealing Commission Regulation (EU) No 702/20142a; _________________ 2a https://ec.europa.eu/competition- policy/public-consultations/2022-agri_en
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 c (new)
Citation 10 c (new)
— having regard to the European Commission Communication on "Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems";
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
— having regard to the European Commission's Communication on "A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives";
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 b (new)
Citation 15 b (new)
— having regard to the new European Bauhaus initiative;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
— Having regard to the responsibilities of the EUMS under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
— having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "New EU Forest Strategy for 2030";
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
Amendment 87 #
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 local 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 trends that require nuanced case- by-case responses;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. 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 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. 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, combat desertification and provide a number of valuable ecosystem services;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
E c. whereas global voluntary certification schemes for sustainable forest management are currently in place; whereas certification schemes are an essential tool to meet EUTR requirements for due diligence3a; _________________ 3a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/afa5e0df-fb19-11eb- b520-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
E d. whereas in 2020, the area covered by forests and other wooded land equated to 45.1 % of the EU-27’s land area, a slightly higher proportion than the area of land used for agriculture11a; _________________ 11a https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3 217494/12069644/KS-FK-20-001-EN- N.pdf/a7439b01-671b-80ce-85e4- 4d803c44340a?t=1608139005821
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E e (new)
Recital E e (new)
E e. whereas Europe’s forests are of immense value in terms of climate mitigation, since forest ecosystems absorb and store around 10 % of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, and there is potential to increase that capacity;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is concerned by the increasing pressure on the EU’s forests and their habitats and stresses the urgent need to increase forest adaptation to climate change and ecosystem resilience;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that the strategy must align with the work undertaken in international forums, such as FOREST EUROPE and the Food and Agriculture Organization, and should avoid duplicating work and increasing administrative burden; further believes that, given the EU’s strong commitment to promoting the sustainable use of resources globally, the strategy should be implemented in such a way as to serve as a model of best practices;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls on the European Commission to provide a comprehensive impact assessment of the strategy to identify the implications for market conditions, rural areas and the various funding needs, including for research and innovation, skills development, infrastructure, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity enhancement;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recognises the key role of forests and the entire forest-based vaolue chain in protecting the climate and biodiversity and in achieving, by 2050, a sustainable and climate-neutral economy; underlines that the multi-functional role of forests comprises multiple socioeconomic functions, such as the provision of raw and nature-based materials, which leads to jobs and economic growth in rural 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 competitiveness and innovation; underlines that the successful provision of services requires sustainable active management;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Welcomes the European Commission's communication on "A long-term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas - Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040" and the acknowledgement of the role of forests and of sustainable forest management in safeguarding decent work and livelihoods in rural areas; ; considers that the important environmental, social and economic of forestry in rural areas should be preserved; is concerned, though, that the contribution of agriculture, forestry and fisheries to rural regions has decreased both in economic and employment terms to 12% of all jobs and 4% of gross value added, while crucially maintaining food security in the EU13a; calls therefore on the European Commission to find new ways to make the combination of different funds more attractive and easily implemented, reflecting and leveraging on the multi- functional character of forests and forest ecosystem services; _________________ 13a https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscor ner/detail/en/IP_21_3162
Amendment 223 #
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, fossil-based products, materials and energy sources 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 forso as to ensure the best combination of sequestration, storage and substitution, in line with the goals of the bioeconomy strategy; and in order to achieve a post-fossil-fuel economy;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights that for both the long- lived and short-lived 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 goodn important 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 257 #
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 2050 carbon neutrality objective, and notes that the demand is thus 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;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
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 economy, not accounting for retail activities and non- wood activities such as forest-related leisure activities, scientific work on forests, etc.; calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess the effects of a shift in the balance of forest functions on the overall employment situation, especially in rural and mountainous areas; highlights the important role that forests play in the creation of green jobs and in growth in rural areas;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Protection, restoration, re- and afforestation and sustainable management
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Takes note of the Commission’s announcement on developing additional voluntary indicators and threshold values for sustainable forest management; 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' national and regional competent authorities, public and private forest managers to ensure that indicators and value ranges are fit-for-purpose for their application at the local level under specific bio-geographic conditions; points out that coherence must be achieved with the Forest Europe think thank on sustainable forest management, since the European Commission and all EU Member States are among Forest Europe signatories;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Takes note of the work of the Commission on developing guidelines on biodiversity friendly afforestation and reforestation; stresses that the focus should be particularly in those Member States where forest cover is low, on land that is not suitable for food production, close to urban and peri-urban areas as well as in mountainous areas, where appropriate;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights that pressure on forests from diseases and parasites, natural disasters and other disturbances is being increasingly intensified by climate change, particularly in the regions of Europe facing the highest average temperature rises, such as the Mediterranean, and that strengthening forests’the resilience of the various forest ecosystems 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;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights that pressure on forests from pests and diseases, natural disasters and other disturbances is being increasingly intensified by climate change and that strengthening forests’ adaptation 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;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes with high concern that large-scale and more intense wildfires are becoming an increasing challenge across the European Union, with forest firefighting representing a yearly budget of EUR 2.2 billion for EU governments and public agencies; underlines the need for more resources and development of science-based fire management to tackle the effects of climate change in forests and calls on the European Commission and the Member States to better promote and make use of the integrated fire management concept12a; _________________ 12a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /181116_booklet-forest-fire-hd.pdf
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reiterates its call for the protection of primary and old-growth forests and stresses the need to createset a definition, build upon existing definitions and based on a comprehensive EU framework, for what constitutes primary and old-growth forests with Member States and forest stakeholders before any designation; welcomes the ongoing work of the Working Group on Forests and Nature and underlines the need to consider a diverse and comprehensive set of attributes and ensure flexibility to account for specific and diverse conditions in bio- geographic regions and forest types; across all Member States;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Further calls on the European Commission to acknowledge the work done so far in some Member States in identifying, mapping and assessing these forests and to encourage the exchange of best practices and knowledge sharing;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Calls on the European Commission to conclude the list of activities allowed in these forests, in full respect with the protection and strict protection status of these forests and to thoroughly evaluate the impact of the protection regime on the local communities affected; calls on the Commission to put forward a just transition fund for these communities, for professional reconversion, since the distribution of these forests is uneven, 90% of them being located in just four Member States6a; _________________ 6a https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repos itory/handle/JRC124671
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Welcomes the pledge to plant, in full respect of ecological principles, at least 3 billion additional trees by 2030, set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; takes note of the Commission Staff Working Document “The 3 Billion Tree Planting Pledge for 2030”, accompanying the Commission’s Communication on the “New EU Forest Strategy for 2030”; calls on the Commission to include in its additionality principles the trees planted under the new CAP’s eco-schemes and the “Environmental, climate-related and other management commitments” as well as those under the National Recovery and Resilience Plans, since both the new CAP and the Recovery and Resilience Facility will have been implemented after the adoption of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; stresses that since land is a finite resource, the conversion of agricultural land must be avoided, especially under the new geopolitical circumstances, as well as the conversion of pastures and natural grasslands, since it leads to no significant changes identified in soil organic carbon7a; notes the opportunity for urban forest development in this area; _________________ 7a p.41 of the Commission Staff Working Document “The 3 Billion Tree Planting Pledge for 2030”
Amendment 386 #
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, accounting for 90% of total EU forestry financing; 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; , no adequate remuneration for the provision of ecological services7a and a lack of advisory services as reasons for this low usage; outlines that the European Commission’s 2017evaluation of forestry measures concluded that the effect of rural development support for forests was generally positive and could contribute significantly to delivering economic, environmental and social benefits8a; _________________ 7a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR21_21/SR_Forestry_EN.pdf 8a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR21_21/SR_Forestry_EN.pdf
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Although rural development spending has been available to support mainly two forestry measures, several other rural development measures could have had an impact on forests; regrets though the fact that the European Commission does not track forestry expenditure under other rural development measures;
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to better promote the other EU financing sources, like the LIFE programme, Horizon Europe, the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the EIB Natural Capital Financing Facility;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Takes note of the European Commission’s conclusion that forestry aid measures have not created any significant distortion of competition in the internal market and in the light of this experience, it should be therefore possibly to exempt those aid measures from the notification obligation irrespective of whether they are co-financed by EAFRD; calls on the European Commission to consider eligible under the aid for forest- environmental and climate services and forest conservation also the commitments regarding the protection and strict of protection of forests stemming from the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030; calls on the European Commission to prolong the undertaking of these commitments for periods longer than seven years, especially in the case of strictly protected forest areas;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Acknowledges the important contribution of existing certification schemes to the further uptake of sustainable forest management and as an essential tool to meet EUTR requirements8a; takes note of the Commission’s announcement on developing a voluntary ‘closer-to-nature’ certification scheme; encourages the Commission to cooperate with existing certification schemes and believes that to create added value, the certification must be based on a mandatory framework with clear requirements and must offer foresters a price premium for the provision of ecosystem services; calls on the European Commission, after concluding the work on the "closer-to-nature" definition, to assess both the added value and the costs for forest owners of such a certification scheme; _________________ 8a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/afa5e0df-fb19-11eb- b520-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Underlines the importance of the forestry sector as a provider of jobs in rural communities and notes with high concern the steady decline of 7% in employment in the forestry and logging sector between 2000 and 2019, according to EUROSTAT9a and the high number of accidents in the sector; 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; _________________ 9a https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics- explained/index.php?title=Forests,_forest ry_and_logging#Employment_and_appar ent_labour_productivity_in_forestry_and_ logging
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Stresses the importance of attracting young people and female entrepreneurs in the sector, especially in the context of digital and green transitions of the forest-based activities; 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 increase the number of upskilling and reskilling opportunities in forestry, creating quality jobs and providing workers with opportunities and adequate working conditions in the wood-based bioeconomy;
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that in order to ensure the availability of high-quality data, remote sensing technologies must be combined and proof checked with data acquired by ground-based monitoring and must be interpreted in close cooperation with local experts;
Amendment 485 #
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, therefore work duplication and increasing administrative burden must be avoided;
Amendment 492 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. 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, private and public forest managers, scientists and civil society; underlines that governance must take EU and Member State engagement in international processes into account;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Highlights the importance of the Civil Dialogue Group on Forestry and Cork to properly involve stakeholders in the development and implementation of EU forest related policies;
Amendment 517 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Expresses its concern about reports of illegal logging, firmly condemns that illegal logging and deforestation have resulted in cases of murder and violence against forestry personnel, journalists and activists and calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase their efforts to effectively implement relevant national and EU legislation and define illegal logging;
Amendment 520 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Member States to encourage the commercialisation of felled wood and trimmed wood/roundwood, instead of living trees from publicly- owned forests, as a method to prevent illegal logging and overexploitation, which would give state authorities more control over the volume of cut and commercialised wood, thereby discouraging illegal practices by privately contracted firms;
Amendment 523 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Calls on the European Commission to promote mirror clauses in international bioeconomy markets and to make use of pan-European and international partnerships and foreign trade agreements to promote the EU’s climate ambition and the sustainability of forest use outside the EU;