The new EU Framework for Forest Monitoring and Strategic Plans - call for evidence

This is ClientEarth’s reply to the European Commission’s call for evidence regarding the future EU Framework for Forest Monitoring and Strategic Plans.

This spring, the European Commission announced a potential new framework for the harmonisation of forest monitoring linked to the new EU forest strategy for 2030. In its initial impact assessment, the Commission states that the aim of the framework is to improve forest monitoring by providing timely, validated, interoperable and freely accessible data and information across the EU for frequent and cost-efficient reporting on priority EU policy-relevant topics.

ClientEarth welcomes the Commission’s initiative. Such a framework is essential not only to achieve the EU's environmental objectives implicit in the forest-related EU laws and policies, but also to ensure public confidence in the EU’s environmental governance and increase public engagement in the forest monitoring and protection.

The document focuses on three issues the new initiative should tackle:

• building trust in forest management through improving access to justice and access to information in forest-related matters;
• increasing accessibility of remote sensing data on forests;
• enhancing the enforcement of laws against deforestation and illegal logging.

ClientEarth’s feedback to the Commission is based on both our own experience and knowledge as well as on a survey conducted by ClientEarth in 2021, in which we asked over 50 environmental scientists and organisations about their experiences and needs in relation to forest information.