The forest has always been an issue close to the heart of all Swedes, both culturally and financially. Nowadays an increasing number of actors in the forestry sector have a positive attitude to some kind of co-ordinated EU forest policy. The forest has always been an issue close to the heart of all Swedes, both culturally and financially. Nowadays an increasing number of actors in the forestry sector have a positive attitude to some kind of co-ordinated EU forest policy. However, Ms Therese Andersson from the Ume? University says that politicians have doubts about the wisdom of such a project.
In most parts of Europe forests are not considered to have any significant financial value. Of all EU member countries Sweden has the most extensive forest area and the forest based business cluster represents almost 30 % of industry. For her doctor's thesis Therese Andersson made a study of the pros and the cons of a common EU forest policy and of the attitude of Swedish and European forestry actors to such a project.
Her thesis shows that all Swedish forestry actors take a negative view of a common EU forest policy as such. However, more and more of them -mainly forest owners and forest industry representatives- would prefer managing forestry issues as an own political entity. The main reason is that otherwise forestry issues risk becoming a secondary issue in relation to agricultural, environmental and energy questions. Another argument is that a co-ordinated forest policy would demonstrate the potential of the forestry sector as a financially sustainable business with considerable ecological and social values.
Therese Andersson also discovered that Swedish politicians mainly take a negative view of increased EU influence in the forestry sector. Most forests constitute a privately owned national asset and specific national conditions in Sweden are best dealt with on the basis of national forest policy. Swedish politicians, as well as some other actors in the forestry sector, are concerned that some kind of subsidized forestry would be established, similar to the EU Agricultural Policy. Such a policy for forestry would be both costly and bureaucratic. For example, in Southern and Middle Europe there are requests for subsidises for reforestation and for preventing and combating forest fires.
For her thesis Therese Andersson made interviews with more than forty forestry actors in key positions, both in Brussels and nationally. Those interviewed in Sweden were politicians, various departments' civil servants, forest owners, Sami people, as well as representatives of industry and environmental organisations.