Aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainable management and development of forests in the EU, the MAP is a follow-on from the 2013 Forest Strategy, updating the challenges which the sector faces, while still balancing the economic, social and environmental benefits of forests. It covers the period 2015-2020 and it is structured according to the eight priority areas of the EU Forest Strategy, providing actions and target dates for each area.
Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed “Forest are crucial for EU rural areas, growth and jobs, covering about 40% of the EU’s total area and providing over 3 million jobs in the EU. European forests and forest owners provide solutions to rural development. The right financial support therefore needs to be guaranteed for actions included in the plan.”.
“Forest owners are ready to contribute to successful implementation of the plan together with Member States. In particular, we urge the Commission to focus on the main priorities for 2015-2017. The most important ones for us are to coordinate, cooperate and communicate all along the value chain in order to enhance policy coherence and consistency. We need to enhance the competitiveness of the forest-based sector. We also need to explore the potential availability of sustainable biomass from all sources, including forest-based ones, for many uses that will provide the EU with useful information on the potential for the sustainable mobilisation of wood in the EU in order to support a sustainable bioeconomy”
