Delegates of FOREST EUROPE signatory countries and the European Union gave the green light this week to the draft documents that the ministers responsible for forests in Europe will have to decide on at the forthcoming 7th FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference.
Agreement on the Conference documents was reached at an Expert Level Meeting (ELM) held in Madrid from 30 June to 2 July 2015, during which the draft ministerial documents were finalised and formally adopted.
The documents approved in Madrid include a declaration in which the need to address global challenges related to forests at a regional level is recognised; a resolution that highlights the potential of forests in the transition to a green economy and their role as a source of employment; a resolution underlining the need to reinforce forest protection and sustainable management of forests to this end, and highlighting the need to strengthen cooperation at the pan-European level in order to deal with forest threats that recognise no borders; and a decision on the future direction of FOREST EUROPE.
Participants at the Expert Level Meeting were also informed of the preliminary findings of two reports that will be presented at the 7th FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference: the FOREST EUROPE report ‘State of Europe’s Forests 2015’, which analyses the status and changes in forests and forest management in Europe, and a mid-term evaluation of the fulfilment of the Goals and European 2020 Targets for forests, which were agreed by the ministers at the Oslo Ministerial Conference in the Oslo Ministerial Decision: European Forests 2020.
More information about the Expert Level Meeting held in Madrid can be found at this link: http://www.foresteurope.org/events/expert-level-meeting-preparations-7th-fe-ministerial-conference-0