Council and Com AGRI take next steps in Forest Reproductive Material file

The policy developments concerning the Forest Reproductive Material proposal are in full swing. In October we already made a post on the file, with the most important points explained.

On 15 November, COM AGRI, the leading committee on this file, presented their draft report to the parliament. This draft report seems positive to the forestry sector, with many amendments that we can support as EUSTAFOR. The next step in the legislative process will be that COM ENVI prepares their draft report, which will be published in 2024.

Meanwhile the public consultation closed on 7 December. EUSTAFOR contributed with the submission of our feedback. While in general the proposal looks positive, EUSTAFOR has a few concerns. The main ones are possible additional administrative burden and the requirement to have a contingency plan. It is our opinion that if this is imposed instead of left to the market, it will result in waste of resources, rather than secure the supply of plant material. The full document can be found in the attachments.

On 11 December, the AGRIFISH Council has met for the first time to discuss the Council’s position on the proposal. The most heard argument was that the new directive may not lead to an increased administrative burden for the forestry sector. They will continue to meet in the coming months.