Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
1175. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the parameters of the discussions held with colleagues from other EU member states at the informal meeting of EU forest directors in Vilnius, Lithuania from 10 to 13 September 2013; if he will detail any agreements reached; if he will provide an update on matters discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37416/13]
View answerThe Presidency meeting to which the deputy refers took place in Vilnius from 10-12th September 2013 – the previous such meeting having taken place in Dublin Castle in March 2013. The meeting involved EU Member State authorities (including ministries, services, agencies, etc.) responsible for matters of forest policy, to discuss and update themselves on the most relevant forestry issues at the EU level. The Commission, the Council Secretariat and Stakeholder’s representatives were also afforded an opportunity to attend.
The meeting considered a full agenda of current EU forestry topics including:
- A New EU Forest strategy,
- Negotiations for a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe (LBA),
- Forestry measures under the new Rural Development regime,
- Implementation of the EU Timber Regulation,
- A possible regulation on criteria on sustainable biomass, and
- A profile of forests and forest management in Lithuania.
The question of further progress on these issues under the Lithuanian Presidency was central to this meeting and the discussions were primarily focussed on preparation for the forthcoming negotiations on the LBA which will resume in November 2013 in Geneva. The Lithuanian Presidency was anxious to focus on appropriate negotiating positions and tactics for the EU and its Member States. Ireland, with the Commission, led on behalf of the EU in the previous round of negotiations on the LBA which took place in Warsaw in June 2013. In this regard it is generally agreed that 90% of the technical issues relating to the proposed Forest Convention were resolved in Warsaw. It was the view of the Member States in Vilnius that a foundation for concluding the remaining elements, which have a greater political dimension, is in place and that extensive negotiation and compromise can permit the final resolution of these outstanding elements at the forthcoming Geneva meeting.
