Activities of Marlene MORTLER related to 2022/2016(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 – Sustainable Forest Management in Europe (debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on a new EU forest strategy for 2030 – sustainable forest management in Europe
Amendments (36)
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the EU’s responsibility in the protection, restoration and resilience of the world’s forests, which should prioritise proforestation inrestoration, afforestation and resilience- building in sustainable forest management as a strategy for increasing carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits; notes that sustainable forest management can play a key role in climate protection through a variety of measures and best practices;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recognises the key role of forests in protecting the climate and biodiversity; stresses that the multifunctional role of forests encompasses many environmental, climate-relevant and socioeconomic activities, such as biodiversity conservation and the provision of renewable raw materials, which creates jobs and spurs economic growth in rural areas;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises the multifunctional role of forests; stresses that policies that enhance biodiversity will help tackle climate change; calls on the EU to address the challenges and trade-offs resulting from the increasing demand for wood for materials, energy and the bioeconomy and the related rising risks of embodied deforestation imports, land grabbing, illegal logging and violation of indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recognises that, in accordance with sustainable forest management, the improvement, conservation and protection of multifunctional, healthy and resilient forests is a key priority for all actors in the EU's forest-based value chain;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Points out that a reliable supply of wood, wood-based products and forest- based biomass is important for the achievement of overall sustainability goals; notes that global demand is expected to rise further and that the sustainable use of locally produced wood should be promoted to meet this demand, particularly in rural areas;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Emphasises the strong need for the continuous development of research and innovation in the field of sustainable forest management, particularly to improve the adaptability and resilience of forests; stresses that, in this way, the full potential of forests can be harnessed for the achievement of climate and circular economy targets;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Union to harmonise its wide-ranging objectives set in legislation and policies pertaining to forests and the forestry sector;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the sustainability chapters of trade agreements must contain binding and enforceable forest-specificenvironment- related, human rights and responsible business conduct provisions;
Amendment 67 #
6a. Takes the view that, owing to the multifunctional contribution of forests to the EU's ambitious targets, close cooperation and the exchange of best practices are essential among the different levels of governance and stakeholder groups involved, as well as with international, European, national and regional experts, forest owners and managers, scientists and civil society;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas most recent data gathered under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive indicates that only 4920 % of forests habitats have a good conservation statusare not in good conditions and need to be improved; whereas focusing solely on aggregated data might be insufficient to identify and address key information on the most urgent issues and it is therefore necessary to consult more specific indicators on trends in condition and pressures; whereas these indicators do not support an overall negative assessment of the state of the EU’s forests, but show both positive and negative trends that require nuanced responses;
Amendment 149 #
2. Recognises that in line with Sustainable Forest Management the maintenance and protectionstrengthening of healthy and resilient forests is aone of the fundamental goals of all actors in forestry and the forest-based value chain, as well a key priority for people in the EU;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is concerned by the quickly increasing climate related pressure on the EU’s forests and their habitats and stresses the urgent need to increase forest adaptation to climate change and ecosystem resilience;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises the complexity of assessing the state of forests, as well as the uneven availability and qualgiven the diversity of data available and therefore stresses the need for continuous policy and scientific dialogue at all levels to improve data collection and if possible its harmonisation;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that the strategy and its implementation must align with the work undertaken inat pan-European level by FOREST EUROPE and other international forums, such as FOREST EUROPE andganisations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, and should avoid duplicating work; further believes that, given the EU’s strong commitment to promoting the sustainable production and use of resources globally, the strategy should be implemented in such a way as to serve as a model of best practices;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recognises the key role of forests in protecting the climate and biodiversity; uUnderlines that the multi-functional role of forests comprises multiple socioeconomic functions, such as the, climate and environmental functions, such as the conservation of biodiversity, climate change mitigation and provision of renewable raw materials, which leads to jobs and economic growth in rural areas, the provision of clean water and air, protection against natural hazards and recreational value; stresses that the implementation of the strategy must ensure a balanced provision of all services and maintain and enhance competitiveness and innovation; underlines that the successful provision of services requires sustainable active management;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that forests contribute to climate change mitigation via carbon sequestration, carbon storage and the substitution of wood and wood products for fossil fuels and derivefossil resources by wood and wood products; notes that on substitution the strategy has a particular focus on storage in the construction sector and believes its implementation should support a broader use of different options for substitution, in line with the goals of the bioeconomy strategycluding short-lived wood products, in line with the goals of the EU climate policy, the EU bioeconomy strategy and the reality of forest management;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights that for wood-based products to contribute optimally to climate change mitigation and a circular economy requires that they be used in the most efficient and sustainable way; believes that the cascading principle8 iscould be a good guideline for efficient use, but must not use a static approach and therefore must be adjusted regularly to reflect innovative uses and should be decided on economic basis and on operational level; stresses that a well-functioning, un-distorted market incentivises the efficient use of wood- based resources; _________________ 8 As outlined in the Commission’s ‘Guidance on cascading use of biomass with selected good practice examples on woody biomass’.
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the importance of a reliable supply of wood, wood-based products and forest-based biomass to achieve the EU’sa sustainability goals andle bioeconomy; notes that the demand is expected to continue to grow and that the sustainable use of locally produced wood should be encouraged to meet this demand; believes that the EU’s forestry sector provide the most sustainably sourced raw materials; calls on the Commission to consider displacement effectleakage effects and substitution effects of fossil and non-renewable materials and monitor any effects on the availability of wood following the implementation of measures under the strategy;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Takes note of the Commission’s announcement on developing additional voluntary indicators and threshold values for sustainable forest management; underlines the need to align the Commission’s work with that of FOREST EUROPE and the Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as to engage with the Member States and forest owners and managers to ensure that indicators and value ranges are fit-for-purpose for their application at the local level under specific bio-geographic conditions; reminds that FOREST EUROPE has set a think tank on sustainable forest management as part of the ongoing four-year working program and that any EU work related to this subject should be aligned with this ongoing work since the Commission and all EU Members States are among Forest Europe signatories;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights that pressure on forests from natural disasters and other natural disturbances is being increasingly intensified by climate change and that strengthening forests’ resilienceadaption and resilience by active management is a matter of urgency; notes the role that restoration and afforestation can play in strengthening resilience and enhancing biodiversity; notes that sustainable forest management consists of a broad array of actions and adaptive practices, many of which can play a key role in climate mitigation;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes note of the ongoing work on guidance for ‘closer-to-nature’ forestry by the Working Group on Forests and Nature; believes that to ensure added value, guidance on this concept should incorporate results-oriented, scientifically and locally proven sustainable forest management practices to give forest owners and managers the tools to yield connections and cooperation on better integrating biodiversity protection with improved management practices;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reiterates its call for the protection of primary and old-growth forests and stresses the need to create aset a commonly agreed definition for what constitutes old-growth forests with Members States and forest owners and managers before any designation; welcomes the ongoing work of the Working Group on Forests and Nature and underlines the need to consider a diverse set of attributes and ensure flexibility to account for specific conditions in bio- geographic regions and forest types; stresses the need to duly respect the ”prior and informed consent” principle in the process of designation for protection;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Welcomes that the Commission guidance on new protected areas acknowledges the need for certain ongoing activities, for example, ungulate management through hunting to protect a wide range of forest habitat types;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the European agricultural fund for rural development is the main source of support for forestry measures; further notes that between 2014 and 2020, Member States only spent 49 % of the available funds, and that the Commission has identified administrative burden, insufficient attractiveness of the premiums and a lack of advisory services as reasons for this low usage and that this should be taken into account when adopting the new CAP strategic plans; highlights the need to include concrete and attractive interventions and measures to enhance sustainable forest management and the multifunctional role of forests in EU in the CAP strategic plans;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Points out that the forestry sector operates primarily as a market-based sector; stresses that putting a stronger emphasis on other ecosystem services should not lead to an increased dependency on subsidies and encouragesupports the Commission and Member States to further pursue the development of voluntary market-based payment for ecosystem services schemes, such as carbon farming;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Acknowledges the important contribution of existing certification schemes to the further uptake of sustainable forest management; takes note of the Commission’s announcement on developing a voluntary ‘closer-to-nature’ certification scheme; encourages the Commission to cooperate with existing certification schemes and believes that to create added value, the voluntary certification must offer forest owners a sufficient price premium for the provision of ecosystem services;
Amendment 427 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights that to unlock the full potential of forests to contribute to climate and circular economy targets, further research, innovation and development in the field of forest management, in particular adaptation to climate change and bio-based alternatives to fossil-based products are required and should be incentivised; underlines that a predictable and stable regulatory environment is a precondition to attracting investments;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that the implementation of the strategy must focus on enabling small- holders to continue delivering on the multiple forest functions and calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that support programmes, voluntary payment for ecosystem services schemes and research funding are attractive and easily accessible;
Amendment 471 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that in order to ensure the availability of high-quality data, remote sensing technologies must be combined and proof checked with data acquired by ground-based monitoring and must be interpreted in close cooperation with local experts and that EU legislation should be based in situ on national and regional forest inventories and should encompass appropriate financial means to get access to data and to contribute to their acquisition;
Amendment 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Takes note of the idea to introduce strategic plans for forests under the framework on forest observation, reporting and data collection; further notes that several Member States already have national strategies for forests in place and that this proposal could increase administrative burden and costs; highlights that the ultimate goal and need of preparing such plans should be clarified; stresses that such plans must remain under the entire decision making of Members States or competent regional authorities;
Amendment 493 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Believes that due to the multi- functional contribution of forests to high- level EU goals and the different administrative levels and stakeholder groups involved, the cornerstones of the strategy’s implementation must be close cooperation and the exchange of best practices with national and regional experts, stakeholders, forest owners and managers, scientists and civil society; underlines that governance must take EU and Member State engagement in international processes into account;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Highlights the importance of the Standing Forestry Committee as athe main forum for discussing EU policies that impact the forestry sector; believes that to achieve policy alignmentcoherence, the Commission should increase dialogue between the Standing Forestry Committee and other expert groups;
Amendment 506 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Highlights the importance of the Civil Dialogue Group on Forestry and Cork to properly involve stakeholders in the development and implementation of EU forest-related policies;
Amendment 511 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes the extensive overlap and sometimes contradicting objectives among policies and legislation that impact forests and the forestry sector and stresses the importance of aligning themcoherence;
Amendment 519 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Expresses its concern about reportthe global problems of illegal logging and land use change and calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase their efforts to effectively implement relevant national and EU legislation;
Amendment 521 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Underlines that the achievement of the Strategy’s goals depends on measures that are adapted to local conditions and challenges; therefore, calls on the Commission and Member States to facilitate the exchange of best practices at all levels and to strengthen stakeholder dialogue, particularly including forest owners and managers, science and civil society groups;