Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe ( MCPFE , synonym Helsinki Process and since November 2009 Forest Europe ) is a pan-European forest policy process at ministerial level in which guidelines, criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management are developed. The ministerial conferences that have been held every 3 to 5 years since 1990 and their follow-up processes represent one of the most effective forest policy mechanisms at the regional level to date.
development
7 ministerial conferences have taken place since 1990:
- Strasbourg (1990)
- Helsinki (1993)
- Lisbon (1998)
- Vienna (2003)
- Warsaw (November 5th and 6th, 2007)
- Oslo (June 14-16, 2011)
- Madrid (October 20 and 21, 2015)
Results
At the end of each conference, a joint declaration was made and resolutions were adopted that take account of developments in forestry in Europe.
Strasbourg
- S1: Monitoring of forest ecosystems
- S2: Genetic Resources
- S3: Creation of a database for recording forest fires
- S4: Adaptation of the management of forestry in the mountains
- S5: Research in the field of tree physiology
- S6: Research on forest ecosystems
Helsinki
- H1: Sustainable forest management in Europe
- H2: biodiversity
- H3: Cooperation with transition countries
- H4: Adaptation of forests to climate change
Lisbon
- L1: Socio-economic aspects of sustainable forest management
- L2: Pan-European indicators, criteria and guidelines at the operational level for sustainable forest management
Vienna
- V1: Intersectoral cooperation and national forest programs
- V2: Economic implementation of sustainable forest management
- V3: Social and cultural dimensions of sustainable forest management
- V4: Forest biodiversity
- V5: Climate change and sustainable forest management
Warsaw
- W1: Forests, wood and energy
- W2: forests and water
Oslo
At the ministerial conference in Oslo, the ministers adopted a decision (the so-called Oslo Ministerial Decision: European Forests 2020) and agreed on a mandate to start negotiations on a legally binding agreement on forests in Europe.
- O1: European Forests 2020
- Oslo ministerial mandate to negotiate a legally binding agreement on forests in Europe
Madrid
In October 2015, two FOREST EUROPE ministerial conferences took place in Madrid: the 7th ministerial conference on the protection of forests in Europe and an extraordinary ministerial conference FOREST EUROPE, which received the results of the work of the intergovernmental negotiating committee for a legally binding agreement on forests in Europe.
- M1: Forests at the heart of the bioeconomy
- M2: Forest protection in Europe in transition
- Madrid Ministerial Declaration: 25 years of joint promotion of sustainable forest management in Europe
- Madrid Ministerial Decision: The future direction of FOREST EUROPE
The 8th Ministerial Conference was scheduled for October 2020 in Bratislava , Slovakia. Due to COVID-19, it will now take place in spring 2021.
structure
Facilities and follow up meetings
In addition to the actual Ministerial Conference, there are other institutions within the MCPFE:
- Expert level meetings: This is where representatives of the signatory states of the agreements reached at the conferences, observers from non-European countries and other participating organizations (such as environmental NGOs or research associations) make decisions about the implementation of these decisions and the preparation of further conferences .
- Round table meetings are platforms for the exchange of information and opinions. They significantly shape the direction in which the MCPFE's decisions are implemented and also serve to further develop the process strategically.
- Ad hoc working groups, seminars and workshops will be organized to discuss specific issues (MCPFE participants and nominated experts). The results are presented for consultation at the next meeting at expert level.
- The steering committee (General Co-ordinating Committee - GCC) coordinates the work of the MCPFE and is composed of representatives from 5 participating countries (up to the Warsaw Conference there were 4) of the MCPFE. As a rule, the host country of the previous and the host country of the following ministerial conference are represented in the GCC. The coordination includes advisory functions as well as the financing of the liaison unit and its activities. Until the next conference in Bratislava, the GCC will therefore consist of Spain and Slovakia, as well as Germany, Turkey and Sweden. At the end of the Warsaw meeting, Austria left the CCG as the host of the previous conference.
- The Liaison Unit supports the cooperation of the European ministers responsible for forest and is a permanent body responsible for the organization and implementation of all activities within the MCPFE.
Signatory States and the European Community
The signatory states undertake to implement the resolutions at national level. They are involved in the working meetings in which the implementation of the decisions of the ministerial conferences is planned and coordinated. All signatory states report to the Liaison Unit on their implementation of the resolutions. The number of signatory states rose with each conference to currently 46 including all 27 EU member states:
- EU-27
- Albania
- Andorra
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Georgia
- Iceland
- Holy See (Vatican)
- Croatia
- Liechtenstein
- Macedonia
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Monaco
- Norway
- Russian Federation
- Switzerland
- Serbia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Belarus
Observer states and intergovernmental organizations
Observer States and intergovernmental organizations have the right to read statements during the ministerial conferences. The observer states currently (end of 2007) include 14 countries, including Canada and the USA, India and China, Japan and Morocco. Intergovernmental organizations include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) , the World Conservation Union (IUCN) , the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) , the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) , the United Nations Forest Forum (UNFF) , the World Bank , the Council of Europe and the European Mountain Forests Observatory (EOMF) .
Stakeholders
Interest representatives are given the opportunity to participate in the conferences as part of a multi-stakeholder dialogue. The organizations are grouped into six major groups:
- Youth (currently represented by IFSA alone )
- Forest owners, with a distinction between state (represented by EUSTAFOR ) and private ( CEPF , COPA-COGECA , ELO , FECOF , USSE )
- Forest industry ( CEI-Bois , CEPI )
- Social NGOs ( BWI , ENFE , PEFC , UEF )
- Science ( Bioversity International , the EFI , the IIASA , IUFRO , UNU )
- Environmental NGOs ( WWF , Greenpeace )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Forest Europe Press release Oslo 24 Nov 2009 ( Memento of the original from April 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
