| Abstract |
This article analyses the forest-focused and forest-related strategic documents adopted under the European Green Deal (EGD). The analysis draws attention to the change in approach to forests reflected in the inclusion of forest issues in various sectoral strategies, the change in the framework for co-operation between the European Commission and Member States and the related change in forest governance approach through the changed functioning of the Standing Forestry Committee. It also refers to global and pan-European processes that provide the frame- The study is based on a content analysis of strategic policy documents related to forests and forestry in the framework of EGD. In addition, the two previously published EU forest strategies from 1998 and 2013, the Forest Action Plan from 2006 and the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030 from 2021 were analysed with regard to their objectives, the approach of the Standing Forestry Committee, the agreements reached in the Forest Europe process and the UN Agenda 2030. The results show that the adoption of the EGD emphasised the role of forests and forestry in the implementation of EU sectoral policies. In the forest-focused and forest-related strategies, the focus is on achieving climate and biodiversity protection goals, the economic aspects of forest management are relatively less emphasised - although they are still present - which is a major change compared to previous EU forest strategies. The strategies adopted under the European Green Deal include the announcement of numerous legislative initiatives formulating legally binding targets for forests, which is a new approach, as so far all policy targets for forests, espe- cially the legally binding ones, have been set at Member State level. The policy priorities of the EGD are linked to the SDGs, but the way in which they are to be implemented at national, regional and local level is not clearly defined. |