Under Von der Leyen’s Commission, a significant amount of EU legislation and guidance, concerning the management and use of forests, was introduced. Some of these laws are already in effect, while the preparation of others will continue into the next term.
The LULUCF regulation, which regulates climate emissions and discharges in the land use sector, the renewable energy directive REDIII and the deforestation regulation are in force and under implementation.
The soil directive and forest monitoring regulation are still in the preparation phase. The Parliament recently finalized its position on the soil directive, but the council is still working with the general approach, making it uncertain whether the trilogies can commence in the fall. The forest monitoring regulation was published in November 2023, but its processing will only begin after the elections. The nature restoration regulation is currently on hold.
Although the Commission has diligently implemented the EU’s forest and biodiversity strategies, some initiatives are still awaited. Such is, among other things, a voluntary certification system for close-to-nature forest management from the initiatives of the EU forest strategy.
