36 Amendments of Ulrike MÜLLER related to 2014/2223(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the responsibility for forestry rests solely with the Member States, that the principle of subsidiarity must be upheld, and that the differences in regional conditions, ownership models and priorities across the Member States must be respected, and that the EU should refrain from imposing any new market restrictions for forests and wood-based products in order to ensure the ownership principles and freedom of market for the participants in the forest value chain;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that it is appropriate to make forest conservation and management incentives part of the strategy, and wWelcomes the Commission communication on a new European forest strategy, bearing in mind that – with due regard to the subsidiarity principle – there is aand emphasises the need for a comprehensive and consistent joint strategy to strengthen the role of forests and the forest sector as well as to prevent and manage forest disasters;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the EU has a role to play in supporting national policies aimed at achieving active, multifunctional and sustainable forest management, in strengthening cooperation in the face of increased cross-border threats such as forest fires, illegal logging and pests, and in ensuringstresses the importance of coherence on forest-related issues across EU policies such as, in particular those relating to agriculture, biodiversity, climate, renewable energy, water and soil, industry, research and innovation, energy efficiency, and resource efficiency;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas sustainably managed forests are enormously important in adding value at regional level and, in guaranteeing jobs in rural areas especially in structurally disadvantaged regions, while at the same time making a vital contribution to the environmental and climate protection as well as biodiversity;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the objective included in the EU Forest Strategy of enhancing the contribution of forests and the forest sector to rural development, sustainable growth and job creation must take full account of the economic, social, cultural and environmental goods and services sourced from forests, in particular the important role that forests play in reducing CO2 emissionswell-managed forests and wood- based material play in reducing CO2 emissions and moving towards a bioeconomy, which is anare important elements of EU climate policy;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on Member States to consider including environmental services payments as forest management incentiveassessment and valuation of ecosystem services to further support multifunctionality of forests, bearing in mind the importance of wood as renewable and climate friendly raw material and the role of forest-based value chains; points out that sustainable forest management has a positive impact on biodiversity, fire prevention, biodiversity and conservation,conservation efforts, and climate; and is crucial for economic development, especially in rural areas and remote regions;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas, owing to the urbanisation of our society, EU citizens feel less of a connection to the forest, and have little knowledge of forestry and its positive impact on environment, climate, biodiversity, prosperity, jobs and the whole value chain;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Supports the carrying out of a cost assessment of all EU legislation affecting the value chains of forest-based industries, with a view to cutting out all unnecessary and burdensome bureaucracy and increasing the industry’s long-term competitiveness in a sustainable manner., equally so, support the principle that every new legislative proposal should be thoroughly assessed by an impact assessment;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the important role of forestry and forest industry research and innovation in achieving smart and sustainable growth, in particular refined biofuels, industrial building in wood, the development of wood and cellulose-based products, as well as renewable materials replacing fossil fuel based chemical materials;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that, particularly in the Mediterranean region, forest fires occur on a regular basis, and are both a cause and a consequence of climate change; points out that storms, and forest fires and pests, are natural disasters that can be mitigated using forestry techniques and that, alongside improved and active forest management, there is a need to promote specific action such as the introduction of grazing or the establishment of agro- forestry areas – policies that ought to be recognised in both the first and second pillars (grazing areas and rural development respectively) of the common agricultural policy;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas according to an increasing world population there is a growing demand for energy and therefore forests should play a more important role in the EU´s future energy mix;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
General – the importance of forests, forestry and forest-based sectory for society
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that it is important to promote the implementation of the concept of the bioeconomy to boost the economic viability of forest value chains through innovation and technology transfer, and, to this end, provide more support for diverse forest products other than timber;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises the need to make sure that forestat European forest resources and wood materials are also re-to be used and re-used efficiently, as a way of cutting the EU’s trade deficit, helping to reduce unsustainable management, protecting the environment and reducing deforestation in countries outside the EUimproving self-sufficiency of the EU in wood and competitiveness of the forest sector as well as to support lowering the EU’s trade deficit;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses in this connection that any attempt to make forestry a matter of EU policy should be resisted and that the sector’s regional basis and the competence of the Member States in this area must be respected; Recalls in this context that EU´s forests have a great variety, differences in forest ownership, they are exposed to different challenges and therefore the principle of subsidiarity should be respected;
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises that is important thatEU legal requirements for forest management plans shouldo not become an additional bureaucratic burden which impedes the sustainable use of Europe’s forests; with that in mind, calls on Member States to review themonitor and promote the voluntary implementation of the forest management plans, taking into account the proportionality and ‘think small first’ principles and providing for the use by managers of the responsibility declaration form.principle;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. AcknowledgesStresses that around 60% of the EU's forests are private, with about 16 million private forest owners and acknowledges in this context the importance of ownership and property rights and supports all measures enabling stakeholder groups to participate in a dialogue on developing and implementing sustainable forest management and improve the exchange of information;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the need to address global challenges such as the amelioration of unsustainable management practices, the reduction of deforestation in countries outside the EU or general environmental protection measures at the global multilateral fora.
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Gives its full support to the Commission’s efforts to promote forest- related employment and the generation of prosperity in Europe, and stresses in this connection the important role of the sustainable production of timber and otherand usage of wood and other forest-based materials, such as cork, for the development of sustainable economic models and the creation of green jobs;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls to recognize and promotes that public goods delivered by forests contribute to quality of life, in particular with regard to oxygen supply, air filtration, water storage and filtration, erosion control and avalanche protection, as well as a place for outdoor activities; underlines the importance of forests as habitats for plenty of plants and animals;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. invites the Commission to highlight and presents examples of good practices of forest management with regard to the impact on economic and social development of rural areas and good practices and examples of international associating that aims to transfer experiences on good practices.
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that timber as ahe use of wood as a renewable and climate friendly raw material, and sustainable forest management, have an important role to play in achievement of the EU’s socio- political goals such as the energy transition and the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy targets and biodiversity targets, and notes that lack of management is inimical to these goals;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Expressly supports the resource-efficient use of timber as a renewable raw material and emphasizes that wood is a versatile raw material and opposes legally binding rules for prioritising the uses of wood, as this not only restricts the energy market but is also impossible to enforce in many rural areas, if only for infrastructure reasons; in this connection, supports an open, market-oriented approach and freedom for market participants by giving priority to locally sourced wood;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Takes the view that sustainable forest management must be based on generally acknowledged and accepted criteria and indicators which must always apply to the sector as a whole; irrespective of the intended use; strongly supports in this connection the sustainability criteria devised in the framework of Forest Europe (Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe)1, which form a pan-European basis for uniform reporting on sustainable forest management and a basis for sustainability certification; __________________ 1 Forest Europe - Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe: http://www.foresteurope.org/
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes in this connection that the negotiations within Forest Europe towards a ‘European Forest Convention’2 as a binding framework for sustainable forest management and for improving the balance of interests in forestry policy have made significant progress, and calls on the Member States and the Commission to make all necessary efforts to bringresume and drive forward these negotiations to a successful conclusion; __________________ 2 See http://www.forestnegotiations.org/
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes the view that forest management plans can be an important strategic instrument for the implementation of concrete measures at the level of individual businesses, while supportunderlining the principle that such measures should be voluntary, in accordance with entrepreneurial freedom; calls at the same time for a clear separation between forest management plans and the management plans under Natura 2000 and the implementation of EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, in view of the need to curb excessive bureaucracy, particularly for small and medium-sized forestry undertakings;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Takes the view that forest management plans can be an important strategic instrument for the implementation of concrete measures at the level of individual businesses, while supporting the principleunderlining that such measures should be voluntary, in accordance with entrepreneurial freedom; calls at the same time for a clear separation between forest management plans and the management plans under Natura 2000 and the implementation of EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, in view of the need to curb excessive bureaucracy, particularly for small and medium-sized forestry undertakings;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls the Commission to carry out and publish a cumulative cost assessment of EU legislation affecting Forest-based Industry value chains including forestry, and assess during 2015 existing regulations that are hindering the development of wood construction in the EU;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes the view that extending the forest-related knowledge basis is of crucial importance to research and that reliable information is essential for the implementation of the forest strategy; notes in this connection that national forest inventories represent a comprehensive monitoring tool for assessing forestry stocks and take into account regional considerations while responding to demands for less red tape and lower costs; welcomes in particular the Commission’s efforts to establish a European forest information system based on data transmitted by Member States and initiatives to improve the comparability of existing data;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls onthe Commission and the Mmember States and the Commission to promote initiatives focusing more closely on timber as one of the EU’s crucial raw materials and on the forest as a significant economic factor and supplier for a bio-based society, and expressly supports awareness-raising campaigns to this end in schools and educational establishmentto promote campaigning in schools and educational establishments to raise awareness on the importance of forest- based bioeconomy and wood as one of the EU's crucial renewable raw materials;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to create initiatives that focus on promoting the use of wood as one of the EU's crucial renewable raw materials and on forests as a significant economic factor and supplier for more bio-based society;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Supports mechanisms that promote the global development of forestry towards more sustainable use as well as a global challenge to prevent illegal logging, and in this connection refers in particular to the EU Timber DirectiveRegulation3 and to the authorisation system for timber imports to the EU (FLEGT)4 ; __________________ 3Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market. 4Council Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 of 20 December 2005on the establishment of a FLEGT licensing scheme for imports of timber into the European Community (FLEGT = Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade).
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that the implementation of the EU’s forestry strategy willshould be a multi- annual process and that the European Parliament has every interest in its beingcoordinated process in which the view´s of the European Parliament should be taken into account and that the strategy ought to be implemented efficiently, coherently and with minimal red tape;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes the view, therefore, that the Standing Forestry Committee should be strengthened and better resourced to enable expertise from the Member States to be exploited to that end and to play an active role in the implementation process, and that Civil Dialogue Group on Forestry and Cork and Expert Group on Forest Based Industries should be strengthened and better resourced to enable expertise of the stakeholders to be exploited proactively in forest-related policy formulation and in the implementation of the strategy;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes that, in view of the Commission’s list of priorities on growth, employment and investment, priority should also be given in implementing the new EU forest strategy to promoting the competitiveness and sustainability of the forest sectory, supporting rural and urban areas, expanding the knowledge basis and promoting coordination and communication; aiming at increased use of wood and non-wood forest products;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. While recognizing the importance of swift implementation regrets that the implementation process has partly begun before the European Parliament has adopted its position and sees that this is not in line with the aim for better coordination of forest related policies as stated by the Commission in its Strategy text; therefore calls for inclusive, well structured and balanced implementation of the strategy that is driven by the needs of the sector and Member States;