Brussels, 21 October 2025 – The European forest owners’ community strongly welcomes the European Parliament’s rejection of the proposed Regulation establishing a monitoring framework for resilient European forests. The overwhelming majority vote sends a clear and powerful message. The concerns raised by forest owners over the past two years have been heard.
“This is an important signal that policy must be rooted in practical realities and built in true collaboration with those who own and manage forests on the ground” said Ms. Hélène Koch, CEPF Senior Policy Advisor. “European forests are diverse, and so are the national systems already in place to monitor them. Rather than duplicating efforts through new legislation, we must invest in strengthening existing systems and fostering cross-border cooperation”, she added.
Since the presentation of the proposal, forest owners have consistently questioned its purpose and the added value it would provide. The lack of a sensible rationale and the absence of any demonstrated way on how collected data would be used at EU level, have cast serious doubt on the necessity of such a proposal for a Regulation.
Rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all, top-down regulatory framework, efforts to enhance forest monitoring in Europe should prioritize strengthening cooperation between Member States, providing technical support, and building capacity—particularly in countries still developing their National Forest Inventories (NFIs).
European forest owners remain committed to sustainable forest management and to contributing constructively to EU forest-related policy.
For more information, contact
Dajana Kojic
CEPF Office Manager
