The Commission’s Strategic Guidelines 2024-2029

During the Strasbourg First Plenary Meeting of the new European Parliament, President Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as Chair of the European Commission. During her speech to the Parliament, President von der Leyen spoke about what her priorities will be during the next mandate, based on the Political Guidelines that the Commission drafted called Europe’s Choice.

A few topics seem especially relevant for the forestry sector:

1. Climate targets 2040 – a road to it
   The EU has pledged to reduce carbon emissions with 90% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels, and forests will continue playing a big role in reaching these targets.  The Climate targets 2040 will be reviewed again during the upcoming term.
   EUSTAFOR has given feedback to the Commission on how sustainable and multifunctional forests can be a part of the solution. Also EUSTAFOR’s new Manifesto, explains how forests can contribute to reaching the targets by 3 “S”: storage, sequestration and substitution of carbon. This will play a major role in the coming years.
2. Bio- & circular economy, Research and innovation
   Prosperity and competitiveness have been explicitly mentioned in President Von der Leyen’s speech. In March, the new Biomanufacturing & Biotechnology initiative was presented by the Commission, and in 2025 the Bioeconomy Strategy will be updated. In order to stimulate marketing of biotechnology, a new Biotech Act will be proposed in 2025 as well.
   Furthermore, the New European Bauhaus, an initiative launched four years ago, will be enlarged during the new term to create energy-efficient and affordable housing in the EU.
   Refocusing of the current Green Deal towards the bioeconomy and the Bauhaus initiative offers new opportunities for multifunctional forests to contribute to the  the new bio-based economic model, including through innovation and up-scaling in the forestry & timber sectors. It will be a focus point for EUSTAFOR to promote resource efficient and responsible use of sustainably managed European forests.
   In the light of competitiveness, the Commission will increase their research spending to focus more strategic priorities, fundamental research and disruptive innovation.
3. Addressing the skills and labor gaps
   To keep the competitive edge, the Commission intends to invest in tackling the skills and labor gap. This is a welcomed priority for rapidly changing and digitizing forestry sector. A Union of Skills will be established to achieve this goal, as well as several strategic plans and budget increases.
   It is yet unclear what the new plans in policy entail, but EUSTAFOR will keep a sharp eye on the developments, as skilled labor is always in high demand within forestry and in a rapidly changing industry the focus will shift from practical to analytical skills.
4. Sustaining quality of life
   Another focus point will be quality of life. Although this is a broad topic ranging form nature protection to water security, President Von der Leyen specifically mentioned climate adaptation and forest fires. Part of the strategy to anticipate these challenges is the creation of a European Climate Adaptation plan.
   Active forest management will be crucial to ensure forests adaptation to changing climatic conditions and to enhance ecosystems resilience.
   Forest fires remain an everlasting concern in the majority of EU member states, therefore, preparedness, prevention and well-coordinated responses should be a priority for the EU.

The Commission’s Political Guidelines presented by President von der Leyen line up with EUSTAFOR’s Strategy 2022-2026 and the Manifesto for 2024 and beyond. Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and multi-functional use of forests can greatly contribute to these new ambitious targets. EUSTAFOR, therefore, is looking forward to learning more details on the Commission’s ambition to make a healthy, sustainable and bio-based society a reality.