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Ref. Ares(2022)5578775 - 04/08/2022
Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans
  
   
Meeting with CEI-BOIS & CEPI 
Video-call, 24 June 2022 
 
Meeting notes 
 
Participants 
Visitors’ delegation:  
•  CEI-BOIS (470333818389-37) + EOS (024776016336-52) 
  
 
CEPI (72279144480-58) 
 
 
 
COM:  
•  Helena  Braun, 
  and 
  (CAB-
Timmermans) 
•  Elena Montani (CAB-Sinkevicius) 
• 
 and 
 (DG ENV) 
 
References 
 
Issues raised 
 
& follow-up 
CEI-BOIS (
) expressed worries about the possible shortage of wood 
and the fact that the Commission has not impact assessed this. Requested to 
transmit this information to the EP. 
There is a shortage of 10 million M3 of wood. Harvesting rates are decreasing 
and projected to decrease by 60% by 2025, leading to higher prices on the 
market. Despite this, the Commission put forward ambitious env 
agenda  without impact assessing the consequences for the sector, composed 
primarily of SMEs 
  
CEPI (
) asked for some clarifications: there is a requirement in 
NRL not just to restore but also to ensure the non-deterioration and 
continuous improvement (art 4). In NR Plans MS must be specific on the 
measures to adopt. Forest cycles are long so result can only be seen after 
years, how will MS be able to prove the improving trends, or is protection the 
most likely outcome? 
  
CAB EVP (

 
-         As committed in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030,  the nature 
restoration proposal will cover all ecosystems, not just Natura 2000 network. 
-          Impact assessment that the proposal will be based on is thorough and 
has been scrutinised by the Commission’s Regulatory Scrutiny Board. As for 
those restoration areas where Member States will be given significant 
flexibilities, certain impacts will become clear only once Member States will 
have decided, which areas to cover and which measures to take. 
-  While there is the urgency to act, the targets can be expected to be set only 
in 2030, 2040 and 2050 perspective because Member States will need time to 
develop nature restoration plans and restoration is a longer term process. 
Hence, references to the current situation in Europe and Putin’s terrible war 
against Ukraine are not relevant. 
 

 
-Restoration does not equal protection. While also the ecological condition in 
protected areas will have to significantly improve, restoration is not the same 
as protection and it should not be seen as incompatible with socio-economic 
activities. Instead, it is about living and producing better with nature. 
-Regarding wood availability, science is increasingly clear that if we do not 
improve forest biodiversity and ecosystem condition, we further weaken 
forest resilience and risk not only ecological but also socio-economic 
functions of forests, including forests’ capacity to provide wood. We 
therefore count also on the forestry sector to be strong supporters of the 
nature restoration law proposal. 
 
  
CAB Sinkevicius (

We have a 600 pages IA which looked into all relevant aspects 
Subsidiarity is very clear – new article on ecosystem not covered by legislation 
we want nature to be back  - this is the EGD message 
Governance of proposal very important, first time we ask for restoration 
plans, MS will have strong flexibility on which land to target and how to 
achieve the targets 
  
 
The IM shows that restoration does not in general reduce productivity but it 
may imply some changes of management (closer to nature forestry or more 
sustainable approached – this also makes forests more resilient.  NR plans are 
the way to cater for new practices to come in and MS have to plan for this, 
and have ample funding instruments available for them to do this. 
  
 
EOS complained in 2020 that wood prices were too low, now that they are 
too high. The legislation can create conditions for improving forest resilience, 
cannot replace the market 
  
 
We do not necessarily ask for measures – we did not complain about low 
prices, we just say there is a change in wood availability 
 
Note taker 
 
Copies 
 
 
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