The latest issue of EFI News focuses on Mediterranean forests with the insight of the Guest Editors Marc Palahí and Yves Birot. Other topics include Russian export tariffs and the role of prescribed burning in mitigating CO2 emissions. Latvia ratified the EFI Convention on 29 May, thus being the 14th ratifying country of the Convention. The Convention enters into force in Latvia on 28 July 2007. The ratifying countries are now Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
EFI's mission is to carry out research of forests, forestry and forest products at the pan-European level, and disseminate the results of this research to all interested parties, especially in the area of policy formulation and implementation. EFI carries out research in four research programmes based at the headquarters in Joensuu, Finland, and seven Project Centres co-ordinated by EFI members in different parts of Europe.
The ratifying countries meet every three years in EFI Council. The next Council meeting is scheduled for 2008 and it will be held in Spain. At this meeting the chairmanship of the Council shifts from Finland to Spain.