Forests play an invaluable role in tackling many of today’s challenges. This was one of the widely accepted and recognised conclusions, when Members of the European Parliament, forest owner representatives and other forest-related stakeholders exchanged their views with Phil Hogan, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, during a breakfast meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Providing a forest-related industry perspective, Patrizio Antonicoli, Secretary-General of the European Confederation Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), pointed out the evidence of the inter-dependence of forest owners and forest-related industries. He encouraged the Commissioner and the MEPs to develop policies to further stimulate the use of wood, particularly for construction, as a sustainable way to decarbonise the economy and to tackle climate change.
The working group on Sustainable Forest Management of the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development kicked-off with this meeting. Further interesting meetings and debates within this forum will follow under the auspices of MEP Elisabeth Köstinger.