Debate About Future of EU Forests in Brussels

The future of forests in the European Union was recently discussed at the big conference “Our Forests, Our Future” organized by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, on 25-26 May 2019, in Brussels. High-level speakers included Commissioner Hogan (Agriculture & Rural Development), Commissioner Arias Cañete (Climate Action & Energy), Minister Deneş (Romanian Minister for Water and Forests), and high representatives of the private sector, academia, civil society and non-governmental organizations.

EUSTAFOR’s President, Reinhardt Neft, presented EUSTAFOR’s new Strategy 2019-2021 during the opening Plenary session. Fourteen forestry experts from State Forest Management Organizations (SFMOs), members of EUSTAFOR, participated in this event.

The conference was convened with an aim to analyze and discuss opportunities and challenges for enhancing the contribution of the forest sector to the main policy priorities of the relevant EU policies, such as the EU Forest Strategy, rural development, the bioeconomy and the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, bioenergy and environmental policies, including biodiversity, Natura 2000 and those related to the promotion of natural capital and ecosystem services. It was also organized in the context of the ongoing mid-term review of the EU Forest Strategy.

The conference was followed by a tree planting ceremony to which Commissioner Phil Hogan invited the speakers and participants of the conference as well as children from a Brussels school.

More information on the proceedings is available at the conference website.