Ministers of forest-rich EU Member States gather for For Forest+ Group meeting in Finland

News - Published 21.8.2024

For Forest+ is a group dedicated to advocating for the interests of the forested Member States within the EU. Ministers from the group’s member states – Austria, France, Slovenia and Sweden – and their representatives visited Finland on the invitation of the Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah between 20 and 21 August 2024. During their visit, the ministers discussed next steps to shaping policies including the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on forest monitoring. Additionally, the delegations got insight into the Finnish forest industry and forestry.

The key objective of the strategic For Forest+ partnership is to develop and enhance cooperation on forest-related issues, share information on best practices and seek common positions on forest policy matters, all in alignment with sustainable management and use of forests. This year, For Forest+ Group is chaired by Finland.

The visitors were Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau from France, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Mateja Čalušić from Slovenia, Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren from Sweden, and Elfriede Moser, Director General for Forestry and Regions, representing Norbert Totschnig, the Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management. The topics discussed during the visit included the EU policy development of relevance to the forest sector and the group’s common positions on the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation on forest monitoring.

“Preparations are under way for the next Commission’s Work Programme, and new Members of the European Parliament are beginning their work. To strengthen our collective advocacy efforts, it was of great importance that my colleagues and their representatives were able to visit Finland now”, Minister Essayah said at the press conference.

Antti Asikainen, Executive Vice President for Research at the Natural Resources Institute Finland and Chair of the Finnish Forest Bioeconomy Science Panel, provided visitors with insights into the growth potential of forests in Finland and the EU. Additionally, Erno Järvinen, Senior Ministerial Adviser and Head of the Forests and Bioenergy Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, gave a general presentation on the Finnish forest sector.

The members of the group visited Metsä Group’s Kerto LVL wood product mill in Lohja and a forest site in Nurmijärvi. At the mill, visitors learned about how wood is processed into responsible, high-quality wooden products that store carbon. At the forest site, they heard about biodiversity measures and planted spruce saplings.

Launched in 2022, the For Forest group was initiated by Austria, Finland, Slovenia and Sweden. Through the recent affiliation of France, the “For Forest+ Group” was created on 16 July 2024. The current members continue to elaborate further possible expansion of the group.

Inquiries

Tapio Luoma-aho
Special Adviser to Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
+358 295 162 340
firstname.lastname@gov.fi

Erno Järvinen
Senior Ministerial Adviser, Head of Forests and Bioenergy Unit
+ 358 295 162 150
firstname.lastname@gov.fi

Press release from Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 21.8.2024