Brussels, 9 June 2021 - Yesterday evening, the European Parliament adopted its report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 coordinated by rapporteur MEP César Luena.

In a plenary session earlier in the same day,  MEPs voted on the amendments which would have allowed to better align this report with Parliament's report on the EU Forest Strategy from last autumn and to avoid unnecessary unclarity and misconception on the state of the EU forests and their management. The final vote unfortunately only partially included these amendments.
As adopted by the European Parliament, the final report is a mix of diverging calls. "Among the positive developments, it's worth noting that the European Parliament has endorsed the climate benefits of sustainable forest management and use of sustainably produced wood-based products and has called for allocation of sufficient financial resources for the management of Natura2000 forests." stated Fanny-Pomme Langue, Secretary General of the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF).
Among the less positive developments is the report's call for the new EU Forest Strategy to focus on the forests' role as carbon sinks and their biodiversity components. "Sustainability concept is based on three pillars and if one of them is weak, the whole concept is not fulfilled. European forest owners are convinced that the EU Forest Strategy should cover all aspects of sustainable forest management on an equal footing way." commented Ms Langue. In addition, the report is calling to strictly protect all remaining "old-growth forests", a concept not yet being defined and commonly endorsed in an EU context. Uncertainty and unclarity of terminology used is colliding with field reality and will hamper proper implementation of the strategy.
European forest owners deeply regret that the report on the Biodiversity Strategy  for 2030 fails to understand and consider the complexity of forests and forestry in Europe and the challenges they face. We hope that concerns of those who own and manage the forests will be better considered, based on a reality check and  successes already achieved.