The agriculture and nature ministers of at least six forest-rich EU countries have sharply criticized the European Commission's new forestry strategy. This emerged from statements following the monthly agriculture council of the EU ministers.
The new forestry vision was presented in July as part of the Green Deal and the tightened Climate Policy. Among other things, it advocates taking parts of forest areas out of use for logging and planting millions of new trees.
Several countries and forest operators have warned of economic, ecological, and social disadvantages for the forestry sector if timber exploitation is restricted. The ministers of Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, and Austria said last week, after an informal two-day meeting in Vienna, that the Commission is overstepping its bounds.
“What we (...) do not need is more bureaucratic hassle from Brussels,” said German minister Julia Klöckner. Also criticized were the lack of involvement of EU countries in preparing the forestry strategy and the failure to respect national responsibilities in forestry in terms of subsidiarity.
The needs of the 16 million forest owners in the EU have not been taken into account. “Many measures represent a huge devaluation of our forests, which form the income basis for countless families,” say organizations of forest owners and timber operators.
In their concluding statement, the ministers said that forests are of great importance economically and socially, but also in the fight against climate change and for the protection of biodiversity. The ministers indicated they largely support the new forestry strategy but also emphasized the importance of finding a balance with rural development and the green economy.