FOREST EUROPE

Under the Swedish Chairmanship of FOREST EUROPE 2025-2026, the Work Programme highlights the importance of maintaining flexibility and preparedness to address "new and emerging issues" affecting Europe's forests and the forest sector. In this context, the need for sustainable forests for resilient societies, as well as forest-based geopolitical preparedness in a rapidly changing security environment, has become increasingly important.

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The State of Europe’s Forests 2025 report (SoEF 2025) provides a comprehensive overview of the condition, management, and use of forest resources across Europe. Based on harmonised data provided by FOREST EUROPE Signatory countries, it builds on internationally agreed indicators for sustainable forest management and reflects decades of pan-European cooperation.

In 1990, as forest dieback and acid rain threatened European ecosystems, ministers from across the continent gathered in Strasbourg. Their goal was ambitious: to collaborate voluntarily on protecting Europe’s forests. That moment marked the birth of what would become the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, today known as Forest Europe.

The High-Level Political Dialogue on “Forest-based geopolitical preparedness” explored Europe’s shifting security landscape. The tone is set by the presenters from four countries with very different experiences: forests are an essential readiness infrastructure. Europe’s security landscape is shifting. Recent crises like wildfires, floods, pandemics, energy shocks, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine show that societal resilience depends not only on military systems but also on living systems.

Albania is one of four countries represented in the General Coordinating Committee (GCC) of Forest Europe, alongside Germany, UK, and Sweden. To better understand Albania’s priorities, we asked Artur Kala, General Director of the National Forestry Agency, to share which indicators currently are especially relevant for their country.

Six months into Liaison Unit Sweden’s chairmanship, momentum is building across the Forest Europe Work Programme 2025–2026. This update focuses on progress made so far and what lies ahead in the workstream “Keeping Forest Europe fit for the Future.” The working group is now fully operational. In late May, we held a workshop addressing two crucial topics.

Six months into Liaison Unit Sweden’s chairmanship, the implementation of the Forest Europe Work Programme 2025–2026 is in full swing. Two main workstreams guide the efforts: one focusing on advancing Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the other on keeping Forest Europe fit for the future. Here’s an update on progress so far, and a glimpse of what’s ahead.

During the Expert Level Meeting, the European Topic Centre for Spatial Analysis and Synthesis (ETC-UMA) was accepted as a Forest Europe Observer. ETC-UMA) is an international research centre based at the University of Malaga (Spain) since 2010 engaged in the development of environmental knowledge to support evidence-based policy and decision-making.

The endorsement of the Bonn Ministerial Decision by the Forest Europe Ministers at the 9th Forest Europe Ministerial Conference marked the beginning of the Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK), hosted by the European Forest Institute, Bonn. Three months into its establishment, the Secretariat is working towards making FoRISK a key platform for knowledge exchange as well as sharing science-based information and promoting cross-sectoral networking among regional, national and international actors.