The European Union and forests

As the Treaties make no specific reference to forests, the European Union does not have a common forestry policy. Therefore, it remains primarily a national competence. However, the EU has established a European forest strategy and supports many actions that have a significant impact on forests in the EU and in non-EU countries.

What is a forest? This appears to be a simple question, but there is no one answer valid for all Member States. Nevertheless, for the purposes of international forestry statistics, Eurostat follows a classification scheme set up by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and applies the following definition: a forest is land with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10% and an area of more than 0.5 hectares. The trees should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 metres at maturity in situ.

The European forest landscape: a mosaic largely shaped by humans

Taking the definition given above, there are 160 million hectares of forest (4% of the world’s total) in the EU. In total, forests cover 39% of the EU’s land area and the six Member States with the largest forest areas (Sweden, Finland, Spain, France, Germany and Poland) account for two thirds of the EU’s forested areas. Forest coverage varies considerably from one Member State to another: while forests in Finland, Sweden and Slovenia cover nearly 60% of the country, the equivalent figure is only 9.9% in the Netherlands. Moreover, unlike in many parts of the world where deforestation is still a major problem, in the EU the area of land covered by forests is growing – by 2010, forest coverage had increased by approximately 11 million hectares since 1990, as a result of both natural growth and afforestation work.

The EU has many different types of forests, reflecting its geoclimatic diversity (boreal forests, alpine forests with conifers, etc.). Where they are located depends on the climate, soil, altitude and topography of a given area. Only 4% of forested area has not been modified by human intervention; 8% consists of plantations, while the remainder falls into the category of ‘semi-natural’ forests, i.e. ones shaped by people. The majority of European forests are privately owned (approximately 60% of forested land) rather than publicly owned (40%).

Table: Basic data on EU forests (EU-27, 2020)

Source: Eurostat and the Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development

Forestry policy and initiatives in the European Union: coherence is the key

As the Treaties make no specific reference to forests, the European Union does not have a common forestry policy. Therefore, it is still primarily a national matter. However, many EU measures do have an impact on forests in EU and non-EU countries alike.

A. New EU forest strategy for 2030

In 2021, the Commission adopted a new EU forest strategy for 2030, which is one of the flagship initiatives of the European Green Deal and builds on the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030. The forest strategy will contribute to achieving the EU’s biodiversity targets, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It recognises the central and multifunctional role of forests and the contribution of all forestry stakeholders and the entire forest-based value chain to achieving a sustainable and climate-neutral economy by 2050 and to preserving lively and prosperous rural communities.

B. European Union measures in support of forests

1. The common agricultural policy (CAP): the main source of EU funds for forests

Some 90% of EU funding for forests comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

During the 2007-2013 programming period, approximately EUR 5.4 billion was allocated from the EAFRD budget to co-finance forestry measures. During the CAP 2014-2020 programming period, some EUR 8.2 billion in public expenditure was programmed (27% for reforestation, 18% to make forests more resilient and 18% for damage prevention). A single specific measure included all types of support for investment in forests (investment in the development of forested areas and improvement of the viability of forests). Another measure was intended to provide rewards for forestry, environmental and climate services and the conservation of forests, while provision was also made for other measures not specific to forestry (Natura 2000 and Water Framework Directive payments, for example).

For the current CAP programming period (2023-2027), forest interventions are included in the strategic plans that were submitted by Member States under Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021.

2. Other European Union measures in support of forests

The marketing of forest reproductive material is regulated at EU level by Council Directive 1999/105/EC. The European plant health regime aims to prevent harmful organisms from spreading to forests (Council Directive 2000/29/EC). The EU also helps fund forest research, in particular under the Horizon Europe programme. In the energy policy sphere, the EU has set itself the legally binding target of meeting 32% of total energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2030, which increases the importance of forestry biomass (Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001). On 30 March 2023, a provisional agreement was reached between Parliament and the Council for a binding target of at least 42.5% by 2030, but aiming for 45%. Moreover, under EU cohesion policy, forestry projects (fire prevention, renewable energy production, climate-change preparations, etc.) can be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The Solidarity Fund (Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002) seeks to help Member States tackle major natural disasters, such as storms and forest fires. As for the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism (Decision No 1313/2013/EU), this can be deployed when a crisis outstrips a Member State’s ability to cope, as has happened with some forest fires (Greece, 2007 and 2012) and storms.

In addition, some 37.5 million hectares of forest (23% of European forests) are part of the Natura 2000 nature protection network, set up under the EU’s environmental policy. The rational use of forests is one of the thematic priorities of the European Union’s programme for the environment and climate action (LIFE 2021-2027, Regulation (EU) 2021/783). Following on from the EU biodiversity strategy (COM(2011)0244), which provided for sustainable forest management plans to be put in place for public forests by 2020, the Commission communication on the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (COM(2020)0380) provides, in particular, for the expansion of protected areas (30% of all land and sea areas in the EU, 10% to be strictly protected), which should expand the protection of European forests and include the planting of 3 billion trees.

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) monitors forest fires. The EU also encourages ecological tendering (COM(2008)0400), which may promote demand for sustainably produced timber. What is more, the EU Ecolabel has been awarded for wood flooring, furniture and paper. In addition, the EU action plan on forest law enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) provides for voluntary partnership agreements with timber-producing countries and a regulation to ban the marketing of illegally harvested timber, which came into force in March 2013 (Regulation (EU) No 995/2010).

The EU also participates in numerous international activities relating to forests (in particular, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). Forest Europe is still the main political initiative on forests at pan-European level. Discussions are under way on a legally binding agreement on forest management and sustainable use. As part of its policy on climate change, in addition to its participation in global negotiations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the EU has taken its first steps towards integrating agriculture and forestry into its climate policy (see Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry in the 2030 climate and energy framework). The EU also set itself the objective of halting the loss of global forest cover by 2030 at the latest and reducing tropical deforestation by at least 50% by 2020 (COM(2008)0645). On 23 June 2023, the Regulation on deforestation-free products entered into force (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115). This Regulation aims to guarantee that the products EU citizens consume do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide.

Role of the European Parliament

The European Parliament legislates on an equal footing with the Council in a great many fields that affect forests (particularly farming and the environment, etc.) under the ordinary legislative procedure. Moreover, Parliament adopts the EU budget jointly with the Council.

It has influenced many items of legislation with an impact on forests. Parliament has long called in its resolutions for increased coordination and coherence between the instruments with an impact on European forests. The first EU forestry strategy was adopted on 15 December 1998 thanks to Parliament’s resolution of 31 January 1997, which called on the Commission to present proposals for a European forestry strategy.

In its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal, Parliament welcomed the Commission’s intention to tackle global deforestation and asked it to step up its actions and to present a new, ambitious EU forest strategy to give appropriate recognition to the important, multifunctional and cross-cutting role that European forests, the sector and sustainable forest management play in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. Against that backdrop, Parliament decided to draw up two non-legislative own-initiative reports: one on stepping up EU action to protect and restore the planet’s forests (European Parliament resolution of 16 September 2020 on the EU’s role in protecting and restoring the world’s forests)[1], and the other on the new European forestry strategy (European Parliament resolution of 8 October 2020 on the European Forest Strategy – The Way Forward). In connection with the former, Parliament also adopted a legislative own-initiative report on global deforestation (European Parliament resolution of 22 October 2020 with recommendations to the Commission on an EU legal framework to halt and reverse EU-driven global deforestation). Lastly, on 13 September 2022, Parliament adopted a resolution on a new EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – Sustainable Forest Management in Europe, which responds to the new EU forest strategy for 2030 adopted by the Commission in 2021.

 

Vera Milicevic

10-2023