European forests are increasingly exposed to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, forests remain one of Europe’s most important natural assets for climate change adaptation and resilience, contributing to water regulation, soil protection, biodiversity conservation, raw materials supply, carbon storage, and the resilience of rural and urban communities alike.

The EC recently adopted Communications on EU Bioeconomy Strategy and on an EU Integrated Wildfire Risk Management and is preparing a proposal for a Climate Resilience and Risk Management – Integrated Framework while also advancing with the ongoing discussions on the future CAP for the post 2027 period. There is an increasing need for integrated dialogue across policy domains and sectors. Forest resilience, value chain adaptation, rural development, and climate objectives must be addressed together through coherent and cross-sectoral approaches.

This roundtable will explore the growing impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems, directly informing ongoing European Commission works. It will place particular emphasis on the need for active, adaptive, and sustainable forest management as a central tool for building resilient landscapes capable of responding to evolving climate conditions. Furthermore, the discussion will highlight the important contribution of the forest-based bioeconomy in enabling long-term climate adaptation and resilience of forests and the possible transformation of forest-base value chain.

In that light, we would like to facilitate the platform for this debate and invite you to our roundtable event on 25 June 2026, from 10.00 – 14.00. The meeting will take place in the European Forestry House in Brussels. You may find attached the draft agenda.

Moderator: Ms. Fanny-Pomme Langue (CEPF)

• 10.00 Opening – Mr. Tomasz Markiewicz (UEF)
• 10.10 Trends in Adaptive Capacity of European Forests, and Related Futures of its Value Chain – Prof. Bart Mays (KU Leuven)
• 10.40 How Forest Managers Are Adapting Europe’s Forests – Experience from Hrvatske šume d.o.o. – Mr. Ratko Matošević, Development Officer, (Hrvatske šume)
• 11.00 Coffee break
• 11.30 From Forests to Markets: Strengthening Resilience Across Europe’s Forest Value Chain – Ms. Silvia Melegari (Joint Secretary General, EOS & CEI-Bois)
• 11.50 Commission’s Ongoing Work on the Integrated Wildfire Risk Management – Adrian Tišťan, Policy Officer, (DG Environment)
• 12.10 Open Discussion
• 12.50 Conclusion – Closing Statement – Mr. Juha S. Niemelä (EUSTAFOR President & CEO of Metsähallitus)

Registrations are open via this link.

Please note that there is a limited capacity, so be quick to reserve your spot.

We hope to see you there!