The European umbrella organizations from the wood and furniture industry have welcomed important positions in the resolution on the forest strategy passed by the European Parliament. This emerges from a position paper jointly adopted this month by the Confederation of the European Wood Industry (CEI Bois), the European Confederation of the Furniture Industry (EFIC) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW). The three organizations particularly welcome aspects of the economic, environmental and socio-political relevance of woods and forests. Sustainably managed forests and a competitive wood and furniture industry are closely related and are equally needed in order to make a maximum contribution to the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, it says.

With a view to the implementation of the forest strategy, the three umbrella organizations urge that national conditions in the respective EU member states be taken into account. "In this sense, we welcome the European Parliament's call for a comprehensive impact assessment of the forest strategy to determine the impact on market conditions, rural areas and various support needs," the document says. The umbrella organizations also join Parliament's call for an interlocking of forest and bioeconomy strategies.

The European Commission presented the forest strategy in July 2021, and the European Parliament passed its resolution in September 2022.