On 3rd May the Council has adopted its position ('negotiating mandate') on the proposed directive to empower consumers for the green transition, which aims at enhancing consumers´ rights by amending the unfair commercial practices directive (UCPD) and the consumer rights directive (CRD). The Council position reinforces consumer rights, bans generic [...]

Source:European Commission - JRC Publications Repository Although complex systems such as land systems cannot be fully represented with models, they stimulate discussion that can help understand the potential risks of trade-offs between ecosystem services when there are pressures on land-based systems. We are building upon a flexible and modular spatially-explicit [...]

On April 24, the EU and Norway have established a Green Alliance to strengthen their joint climate action, environmental protection efforts, and cooperation on the clean energy and industrial transition. The EU-Norway Green Alliance will focus on some priority areas. The most relevant ones from the point of view of [...]

On 19 April, the European Parliament adopted during its plenary session, the provisional agreement on a “Regulation on making available on the Union market as well as export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation” (EUDR) with a strong majority of 552 votes [...]

ABSTRACT: This report provides an overview of the fire season of 2022 in Europe, Middle East and North Africa on the basis of data in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). It preceeds the annual report for the 2022 that is published with the national contributions from the countries [...]

The EESC's Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI) is preparing a new Initiative Opinion on "Towards a comprehensive strategy for the EU wood industry". "Our forests are more than carbon sinks but are a vital source of raw materials to our bio-based industries. The pulp and paper industries and other [...]

On 22 March 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted its Opinion on "Wooden construction for CO2 reduction in building sector". The EESC considers that:  An increase in the use of sustainable wood in construction, especially in public buildings, is essential to reduce carbon emissions and must be promoted [...]

On 28 March, the Council adopted two regulations that will enable the EU to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The so-called ‘effort sharing regulation’ sets stronger emission reduction targets for member states to be achieved by 2030. The regulation [...]

Forest ecosystems provide numerous benefits for society: besides providing timber for construction or fuel, forests play a crucial role in cleaning the air and water and preventing floods. They also offer a home for wildlife as well as a place for recreation and relaxation. Forests are natural providers of services [...]

On 21 March, the Commission published two sets of guidelines to support the implementation of the New Forest Strategy, within the broader framework of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, while supporting the general EU agenda on biodiversity by contributing to our commitments under the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (UN [...]