FOREST EUROPE

09/07/2026

Under the Swedish Chairmanship of FOREST EUROPE 2025–2026, the Work Programme highlights the importance of maintaining flexibility and preparedness to address “new and emerging issues” affecting Europe’s forests and the forest sector. In this context, the need for sustainable forests for resilient societies, as well as forest-based geopolitical preparedness in a rapidly changing security environment, has become increasingly important.

This Policy Brief raises awareness of how forests and forest-based value chains contribute to Europe’s geopolitical preparedness.

“The Signatories of Forest Europe acknowledge that forests and the forest-based sector are strategic assets required for societal resilience in Europe, particularly in times of geopolitical crises. This highlights an essential requirement for strengthening crisis preparedness, response systems and security of the supply of wood and non-wood forest products” says Alessandra Giolo, the lead author of the Policy Brief.

She continues:
“Preparedness is not reactive; it is an intergenerational responsibility. If Europe acts now, sustainably managed forests can become pillars of strategic autonomy and enable resilient societies, supporting energy stability, plant and machinery repair capacity, functioning value chains and the environmental foundations of societal continuity under geopolitical pressure.”

The Policy Brief concludes with eight recommendations for achieving sustainable forests for resilient societies and strengthening forest-based geopolitical preparedness in Europe.

Read the full Policy Brief "Sustainable Forests for Resilient Societies and Forest-based geopolitical preparedness in Europe" here:https://foresteurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Policy-Brief-Geopolitical-Preparedness-2026.pdf

06/07/2026

Under the Swedish Chairmanship, FOREST EUROPE is working to make green jobs in the European forest sector more attractive and to support forest education and international cooperation networks.

Our Policy Brief presents the challenges, past recommendations, their uptake across Pan-Europe, and future directions for green forest jobs in the forests of Europe.

“The Policy Brief highlights the need to improve job quality and attractiveness through reskilling, gender equality measures, and better occupational safety and health standards,” says Ana Alice O. Tavares, one of the authors of the Policy Brief representing International Forestry Students’ Association, and continues:
“Another key take-home message is the need to modernise education and training by updating curricula for digitalisation and green skills, promoting lifelong learning, and strengthening multidisciplinary programmes with employer input.”

Finally, the policy brief emphasizes the need to strengthen collaboration and monitoring by keeping forest-sector workforce issues high on the FOREST EUROPE agenda, enhancing cross-country cooperation on Green Forest Jobs, and further developing pan-European workforce data.

Read the full Policy Brief on Green Forest Jobs here: Read the full Policy Brief on Green Forest Jobs here https://foresteurope.org/green-forest-jobs-in-the-future-forests-of-europe/

02/07/2026

🌲On Tuesday, Forest Europe attended the Standing Forestry Committee meeting hosted by DG AGRI in Brussels. The agenda covered a range of topics, including climate-related forestry policies, the bioeconomy, sustainable forest management, and forest biodiversity.

Forest Europe was represented by Rebecca Hunt, leader of Workstream 1, who provided an update on the workstream's achievements and presented key priorities and next steps leading up to the conclusion of the Swedish Chairmanship in December.

Building on the commitments outlined in the Stockholm Ministerial Declaration, Forest Europe will invite signatories to join a coordination group with the primary objectives to:

✅ Develop a roadmap for the continuous revision of Forest Europe's Criteria and Indicators
✅ Coordinate revision processes with experts and relevant stakeholders
✅ Support the ongoing development of sustainable forest management across Europe
👉Download the Stockholm Ministerial Declaration here:https://foresteurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FOREST-EUROPE-Stockholm-Ministerial-Declaration-Final.pdf

We would like to thank the European Commission for the invitation and DG AGRI for hosting a productive and engaging meeting.

On the photo: Rebecca Hunt (to the left) and Ms Gaelle MARION, Head of Unit, DG Agri (to the right).

29/06/2026

Already watched the Forest Europe webinar on bioeconomy and wanting more? Here is our summer tip for further knowledge on the topic: A series of webinars produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Sustainable Forest-based bioeconomy approaches. They describe the series as follows:

From data, policies and supply chains to financing and partnerships – discover key themes and understand how to unlock the forest sector’s transformative potential for decreasing reliance on non-renewable resources in a sustainable bioeconomy and transition to climate-positive societies.

Attendees will contribute to identifying globally relevant shared goals, critical challenges and priorities that can inform evidence-based policy and investment decisions to support the development of the sustainable forest-based bioeconomy approaches.

This global webinar series is an integral part of the Country and Organization-Led Initiative on Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches (COLI) and is supported by the Federal Ministry, Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management, Republic of Austria, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland.

Follow the link: https://www.fao.org/forestry/our-focus/forest-products/sustainable-forest-based-bioeconomy-approaches/en

Global webinar series: Sustainable forest-based bioeconomy approaches | FAO | United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Sustainable forest-based bio...

24/06/2026

Watch the recording of the webinar: "Efficient use of resources in the future bioeconomy – how to make trade-offs?"

The transition towards a European bioeconomy involves growing ambitions to replace fossil-based raw materials with renewable biological resources. At the same time, the availability of these resources is limited and increasingly affected by climate change, land-use conflicts and rising global demand. How can these limited resources be used efficiently while balancing climate action, biodiversity, food security, energy and economic development?

👉Read more and watch the webinar recording here:
https://foresteurope.org/state-of-europes-forests-report/webinars-exploring-soef-2025/efficient-use-of-resources-in-the-future-bioeconomy/

Efficient use of resources in the future bioeconomy – how to make trade-offs? How policy choices, market signals, and regulatory instruments influence prioritisation between different uses of biomass. To what extent current management and governance models are equipped to address increasing resour...

16/06/2026

‼️REGISTER NOW! LUNCHTIME WEBINAR 17 JUNE, 12-13 CEST: Efficient use of resources in the future bioeconomy – how to make trade-offs?

This webinar explores key questions around resource use in the European bioeconomy, focusing on how to enhance efficiency and make the most of available biomass. It examines current patterns of use, how different applications interact, and how these dynamics may develop in the future.

Listen to:
Moderator: Associate Professor Camilla Widmark, Department of Forest Economics (Head of department), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Ms. Linda Reinholdsson, Deputy Director, Ministry for Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, Sweden
Dr. Dr. Georg Rappold, MBA, Director – Wood Policy, Bioeconomy and Innovation, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management, Austria
Mr. Baptiste Meunier, Head of the Bioeconomy Unit, Directorate-General for Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises (DGPE), French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire), France

Read more and register:https://foresteurope.org/state-of-europes-forests-report/webinars-exploring-soef-2025/efficient-use-of-resources-in-the-future-bioeconomy/


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Efficient use of resources in the future bioeconomy – how to make trade-offs? How policy choices, market signals, and regulatory instruments influence prioritisation between different uses of biomass. To what extent current management and governance models are equipped to address increasing resour...

11/06/2026

🌿 The Stockholm Ministerial Conference marked the official kick-off for the Forest Friends for Ukraine (FFU) initiative. The initiative stems from the Bonn Ministerial Declaration to support Ukraine in building back better its forest sector during and after the war. This was also emphasized in the Stockholm Ministerial Declaration, signed by FOREST EUROPE Signatories on 2 June 2026.

Together with Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, Viktor Smal, Head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, and FOREST EUROPE, a first information meeting was held already in May.

“The Forest Friends for Ukraine initiative was born out of strategic necessity. In the early years of the war, Ukraine received invaluable international assistance driven by deep enthusiasm and a sincere desire to help. However, this initial wave of support was sometimes accompanied by fragmentation and a lack of coordination. Today, it is absolutely clear that we need a new standard of coordination for supporting Ukraine's forest sector. The Forest Friends for Ukraine Working Group, as a part of the FOREST EUROPE political process, is the ideal platform to develop and implement this standard,” Taras Vysotskyi emphasized.

📸 Mariana Ostrovska, Head of the International Relations, Science, and Public Relations Unit, State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine; Fredrik Silfwerbrand, Head of Liaison Unit Sweden (LUS) and Vasyl Masyuk, jointly appointed by LUS and Ukraine as a Working Group Secretariat Coordinator.

👉Read more here: https://foresteurope.org/forest-europe-launches-forest-friends-for-ukraine-initiative/

09/06/2026

WEBINAR 17 JUNE: Efficient use of resources in the future bioeconomy – how to make trade-offs?

The webinar takes its point of departure in key questions on how scarcity emerges in the European bioeconomy, which forms of competition between uses can already be observed, and how this competition is likely to evolve in the future. Particular attention is paid to the tensions between e.g., material and energy uses, climate policy objectives, biodiversity conservation, food security, and socio‑economic needs in rural areas.

Against this background, the webinar explores:
🌲How policy choices, market signals, and regulatory instruments influence prioritisation between different uses of biomass.
🌲To what extent current management and governance models are equipped to address increasing resource competition and uncertainty.
🌲Which trade‑offs are unavoidable, and which are largely the result of political decisions and institutional frameworks.

👉Read more and register on our website: https://foresteurope.org/state-of-europes-forests-report/webinars-exploring-soef-2025/efficient-use-of-resources-in-the-future-bioeconomy/

09/06/2026

As FOREST EUROPE prepares for its next chapter, we warmly welcome Albania as the incoming Chair of the process.

At the 10th FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference in Stockholm, Albania's Minister of Environment, Sofjan Jaupaj, presented Albania's vision for the years ahead. Minister Jaupaj described the candidacy as being about “assuming responsibility, building consensus, strengthening cooperation and helping shape solutions for the challenges Europe’s forests are facing.”

At a time when forests are expected to contribute to climate adaptation, biodiversity, sustainable growth, innovation and societal resilience, international cooperation is more important than ever. FOREST EUROPE provides a unique platform where countries work together to exchange knowledge, build trust and advance Sustainable Forest Management across the pan-European region.

As Sweden concludes its Chairmanship, Sweden's Minister for Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren, highlighted the importance of “continued cooperation based on knowledge, trust and shared responsibility in meeting the challenges facing Europe’s forests in the years ahead.”

The future strength of FOREST EUROPE depends on the continued active engagement of its Signatories and Observers, including through the General Coordinating Committee and Expert Level Meetings. Through dialogue, shared expertise and joint commitment, the process can continue to deliver practical results and provide a strong voice for sustainable forest management in Europe.

We look forward to supporting Albania in its future role and to continuing our joint work for sustainable forests and resilient societies.

05/06/2026

More than 130 participants, including ministers, commisioner, state secretaries, policymakers, researchers, international organisations, observer organisations and forest-sector representatives from over 30 countries, gathered in Stockholm on 2–3 June for the tenth FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference.

Across eight high-level sessions, discussions addressed some of the most pressing challenges facing Europe’s forests today: climate change, biodiversity loss, wildfires, workforce shortages, innovation, wood construction, geopolitical preparedness and the future of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).

The first high-level session set the tone for the conference. European Union Commissioner Christophe Hansen described the Stockholm Ministerial Declaration as a long-term commitment to Sustainable Forest Management across Europe and reaffirmed the European Commission’s support for the FOREST EUROPE process. Reflecting on the increasing pressures facing Europe’s forests, he underlined the need for active management and cooperation:

“This makes one thing very clear: resilience requires active and sustainable forest management. This requires cooperation.”

Read the full article here: https://foresteurope.org/cooperation-knowledge-and-resilience-at-the-heart-of-europes-forest-future/

Photo: Peter Rombai/University of Sopron