Forests cover around 30% of the Earth’s land area providing priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits at local, national and global levels. We rely on forests for wood, energy, food and medicine. Forests are pillars of their communities creating jobs, providing shelter and holding cultural, social and spiritual values. Forests perform key ecosystem services such as contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, preventing desertification and soil erosion, alleviating the effects of natural disasters, cleaning the air and water and protecting biodiversity.
Worldwide, around 1.6 billion people, including 2000 indigenous cultures, depend on forests for their livelihoods. Sustainable management of this valuable resource is crucial – and it is just as vital for the society as a whole, as forests contribute at least €180 billion per year to the world economy.
Our approach
Forests have long been vulnerable to a number of threats and are today closer than ever to a critical tipping point. Alongside natural challenges such as droughts, wildfires and diseases, forest cover is decreasing at dangerous levels due to illegal logging, deforestation and forest degradation.
The EU has been supporting the efforts of partner countries to preserve their forests and to contribute to sustainable, inclusive economies and societies.
Illegal logging - 'FLEGT'
The EU policy to fight illegal logging and associated trade was defined in 2003 with the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. The FLEGT Action Plan includes a wide range of measures aimed at bringing together governments and stakeholders to address jointly illegal logging and its associated trade. The keystone of this approach is the Voluntary Partnership Agreements concluded between the EU and interested Partner countries that aim at a transformational change by addressing the root causes of illegal logging and ensuring trade in legally and sustainably harvested timber. The Directorate-General for International Partnerships is currently implementing VPAs with 8 partner countries.
The EU FLEGT VPA Programme (24 M EUR) aims at promoting sustainable forest management and reducing illegal logging by supporting the implementation of the VPA. It focuses on projects implemented in country and with local stakeholders: public administration, civil society (civil society organisations and local communities) and private sector.
Deforestation
In the face of alarming threats from deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and globally, the Commission issued in 2019 a Communication to step up the efforts to protect and restoring the world’s forests. The Communication addresses the EU consumption of deforestation and forest degradation linked products and proposes to work in partnership with producer countries to reduce pressures on forests.
The EU is furthermore addressing the issue of deforestation through the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products. This regulation, which entered into force on 29 June 2023, prohibits the entry into the EU market of commodities linked to deforestation and requires operators and traders to prove that their products do not originate from recently deforested land or contribute to forest degradation. By promoting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products, the EU aims to reduce its impact on global deforestation and forest degradation.
In view of the multi-functional role of forests, Forest Partnerships will address forests in a comprehensive and integrated way and taking into account the specific needs of local communities and indigenous peoples. Their objective will be to protect, restore and ensure the sustainable use and management of forests, promote good forest governance, strengthen forest-based value chains, stimulate stable and legal business environments and ensure the sustainability of trade in timber and forest products that drive deforestation.
The Forest Partnerships will deliver on the Global Gateway while contributing to EU’s development cooperation objectives and EU international commitments, notably in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biodiversity, the UN declaration on forests.
The EU Forest Governance and Value Chains Programme (FGVC) provides technical and financial assistance to countries engaged in Forest Partnerships. Support covers improved forest sector governance, sustainable forest management, enhanced business environment and access to finance, promoting forest-sector investments, value addition, job creation and sustainable trade.
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Our support
The EU hosts several facilities that supports policies and works with partner countries.
EU Forest for the Future Facility
The Forest for the Future Facility focuses on Forest Partnerships and support partner countries to improve sustainable forest management.
FLEGT Africa and Latin America (ALA) Facility
The FLEGT ALA Facility provides technical assistance to countries in Africa and Latin America engaged in VPAs with the European Union. The Facility supports the VPA implementation, with the ultimate objective of improving forest sector governance and promoting the production and trade in legal timber.