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European Forest Institute

EFI

The European Forest Institute provides scientific research and expertise to support European forest policy.

Lobbying Activity

European Forest Institute Urges Support for Resilient, Biodiversity-Driven Forests

23 Jun 2025
Topic — The EU aims to update its strategy for a circular and climate-neutral bioeconomy.
Message — EFI recommends prioritizing biomass use for materials with the lowest environmental impacts. They seek active biodiversity enhancement and greater participation of primary producers in the value chain. Finally, they propose mandatory bio-based content requirements to increase demand.1234
Why — Forest managers and researchers would secure more funding and expanded wood-based markets.5
Impact — Non-bio-based manufacturers lose competitive advantage due to new mandatory procurement and content rules.6
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Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President) and European farmers and

14 Mar 2024 · High level dialogue on forest-based bioeconomy

Response to 2040 Climate Target Plan

22 Jun 2023

We would like to bring to your attention the newest European Forest Institute policy brief on forest climate change mitigation and adaptation in Europe (https://doi.org/10.36333/pb2), which was written by a multidisciplinary and highly-respected scientific team. Today forests and wood products remove approximately 380 MtCO2 eq/year (compensating about 10% of total annual EU greenhouse gas emissions). Based on current available scientific literature an additional mitigation potential mitigation potential of up to 72 MtCO2 eq/year by 2050 in the European Union is possible. Depending on additional measures, the potential could increase to 143 MtCO2 eq /year till 2050. Key messages: (1) European forests and wood products can provide a significant contribution to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but their contribution is finite and cannot compensate for delayed actions in other sectors. (2) Limited information is currently available on the related costs and feasibility of realising the forest-based mitigation potential. (3) A high degree of uncertainty applies as different scientific studies use different data, methods, system boundaries, types of potential and scenario assumptions. How can the contribution by forest-based mitigation actions be maximised? Adopt a holistic approach that considers all relevant carbon pools and fluxes, as well as interactions between forest-based mitigation activities and with adaptation, and which minimises trade-offs with biodiversity and ecosystem services. Combine multiple forest-based mitigation activities to maximise the effect and foster synergies, interactions, co-benefits and regional applicability. Prioritise types of wood use that give the largest net emission reductions. Take note that forests across countries differ, and so do implementation actions. Move to policy implementation and develop appropriate support tools (e.g., through incentive systems, exchange of best practices, devising a transparent, harmonised and robust monitoring framework). Apply a long-term perspective beyond 2050 in climate and forestry policies, that considers climate change mitigation and adaptation together to avoid future losses of forest carbon stocks and sequestration capacity. The technology, capacity and strategies needed to deploy forest-based mitigation measures are readily available and have been used for decades. Maximum efforts, starting with the most sustainable and cost-efficient mitigation activities, should urgently be pursued to reduce net emissions This policy brief is based a larger study attached to this response and available at: https://doi.org/10.36333/fs14. We would encourage you to take these scientific findings on board when developing the EU climate targets for 2040.
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Meeting with Suvi Leinonen (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen)

5 Dec 2022 · Forests.

Meeting with Ville Niinistö (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

20 Jan 2022 · LULUCF (staff level)

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner)

5 Jul 2021 · EU Forest Strategy and forest partnerships.

Meeting with Laure Chapuis (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson), Stefano Grassi (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson), Thor-Sten Vertmann (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson)

24 Jun 2021 · Presentation on biomass – use of woody biomass.

Response to EU Forest Strategy

4 Dec 2020

The European Forest Institute (EFI) is pleased to see that new EU Forest Strategy recognizes the importance of science-based policy making and will further foster “a strong research and innovation agenda to improve our knowledge of forests and to optimize their composition, structure management and use”. In this context we would suggest that the future research and innovation agenda would include more comprehensive and focused call topics and support measures for forest related issues, as opposed to the current fragmentation of forest related topics across different parts of EU Framework Programmes or handling them as small items within topics with a broader scope. Such an approach would better support research and innovation when it comes to dealing with trade-offs, synergies and a holistic approach on forests and their use. EFI and its network of more than 130 member organizations have already over the past years delivered a vast amount of science-based information and publications (available at: https://efi.int/publications-bank) on many of the topics to be addressed by new EU Forest Strategy (e.g., integrated forest management, biodiversity, circular bioeconomy, climate change and its impacts on forests, forest ecosystem services, forest and environmental governance, post-2020 European forest policy, etc.). Also, during the process of the development of the new EU Forest Strategy and in the future EFI and its network are willing to support the European Commission and Member States with science-based inputs on topics relevant for the ongoing policy debates.
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

28 Apr 2020 · EU Green Deal, biodiversity and forests

Meeting with Tatu Liimatainen (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)

2 Oct 2019 · Commission transition and forests

Response to High and low Indirect Land-Use Change (ILUC) - risks biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels

8 Mar 2019

The draft Delegated Regulation on ILUC does not clarify the possible boundaries of low-risk ILUC projects: will certification schemes certify individual farms, concessions, or projects at landscape or jurisdictional scale? We recommend that a minimum scale is clarified in this Delegated Act. Leaving it for 2020/2021 during the discussions on the Implementing Act risks bringing confusion and uncertainty for many actors. Providing clarity on this matter in the Delegated Act allows supply chain actors to anticipate changes in market requirements, get organised and collect the necessary information needed to respond to the ILUC requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive. Furthermore, the risk is high that low-risk ILUC projects will de facto exclude smallholders, despite the low-risk criterion that concerns them specifically, due to a general lack of capacity and the excessive costs of gathering the necessary information for smallholders. Minimum information requirements would presumably include land status prior to biofuel feedstock cultivation (degraded/un-degraded), landholder status (smallholder vs other), and trend in feedstock yield relative to business-as-usual yield trend for the project area. Such information is currently not available with the possible exception of small numbers of smallholders (<2000) supported by development projects. To allow smallholder operations to be better considered as low risk ILUC in practice, while limiting displacement effects (leakage), we recommend to consider the local jurisdictional scale to set ILUC project boundaries, realistically at municipal or district level. The local jurisdictional level is where a performance can be shown and progress may be incentivized in the targeting of degraded or unused land through adequate land-use planning, and in improving the conditions of smallholders while limiting the displacement of pressures (although there can be displacement of pressures across jurisdictions). Robust jurisdictional certification, encompassing all producers in the jurisdiction in a cost-effective way, could possibly ensure compliance with ILUC requirements and seek accreditation by the European Commission. We thus recommend to add the following clarification: “Local jurisdictions can be relevant units for the certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels”.
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Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

27 Sept 2018 · Addressed Annual Conference

Meeting with Tom Tynan (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

8 Mar 2018 · Bio-economy

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

4 Jul 2017 · Forestry

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan), Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

25 Apr 2017 · Forestry

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

26 Jan 2017 · Forestry

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

22 Nov 2016 · State aid Guidelines

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

15 Nov 2016 · Bioeconomy

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

5 Oct 2016 · Forestry Issues

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

6 Jul 2016 · Conference Details

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

16 Jun 2016 · Sustainable Economy

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

26 Apr 2016 · Forestry

Meeting with Aura Salla (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)

15 Mar 2016 · Bioeconomy framework

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

26 Jan 2016 · COP21

Meeting with José Mendes Bota (Cabinet of Commissioner Carlos Moedas)

21 Jan 2016 · EFI Science-policy report on Forest and climate change

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

13 Jan 2016 · Forestry

Meeting with José Mendes Bota (Cabinet of Commissioner Carlos Moedas)

9 Nov 2015 · EFI Annual Scientific Seminar 2016

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

9 Nov 2015 · Forestry

Meeting with Carlos Moedas (Commissioner)

14 Sept 2015 · The European Forest Sector

Meeting with Juho Romakkaniemi (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)

8 May 2015 · Forest policy

Meeting with Shane Sutherland (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)

11 Dec 2014 · Forestry