Nordic ministers call for strengthening the co-operation for a sustainable forest-based bioeconomy
The forest-based bioeconomy offers great opportunities for the Nordic societies in the form of growth and jobs. According to the Nordic Council of Ministers for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Agriculture, Agriculture, Food and Forestry this can and should be achieved in a sustainable way.
At their meeting in Turku, the ministers adopted a roadmap for the future forest sector co-operation, called Nordic Forest Solutions. The roadmap aims at strengthening the Nordic voice in forestry-related issues also at European and global level.
The case of EU bioenergy policy, and especially the possible criteria for the sustainable sourcing of woody biomass, was picked as a case study for strengthened Nordic co-operation. A back-to-back workshop was organized to bring together government representatives, stakeholders and the European Commission to discuss the subject.
The ministers stressed that the topic is of utmost importance for all the Nordic countries, and recognised the need to co-operate closely on the matter. The forest-based bioeconomy offers great opportunities for the Nordic societies in the form of growth and jobs. Bioenergy is an integral part of bioeconomy and by far the biggest source of renewable energy. In addition, it is a key to reaching the EU climate and energy objectives for 2030.
– The future sustainability policy, if it was to be proposed by the European Commission, should be based on existing national systems and should not impose administrative burden to forest owners or bioenergy operators, said Kimmo Tiilikainen, the Finnish Minister for Agriculture and the Environment.
The ministers concluded that a risk-based approach to sustainability is worth exploring.
Inquiries:
Teemu Seppä, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland, tel +358 295 162 158, firstname.lastname@mmm.fi
