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Forestry measures
Standing Forestry Committee
The Standing Forestry
Committee (SFC) was set up in 1989. The Committee
represents forestry administrations of the EU Member
States. The Committee has 25 members representing the
Member States. The European Commission is the
chairperson of the Committee. Members of the Committee
are nominated by the governments of the EU Member
States. The SFC has a three-fold role:
- it acts as an advisory and management Committee
for specific forestry measures;
- it is also an ad-hoc consultation forum that
provides expertise in connection with the
development of forest-related measures in the
framework of various Community policies, such as
those on rural development and the environment;
- it provides a venue for exchange of information
among Member States, and between Member States and
the Commission.
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General activities of the Standing Forestry
Committee
During the period 1999–2003, the SFC has carried out its
management function for the specific forestry regulations on the
protection of Community’s forests against atmospheric pollution
and the protection against fire, as well as for the
implementation of the EFICS Regulation. Since these regulations
ended in 2002, the management function of the SFC for a while
were limited to the implementation of the Forest Focus
Regulation, adopted in 2003.
The SFC has also continued its role of an ad-hoc consultation
forum on forest-related issues. Several subject matters, such as
rural development, FLEGT, Natura 2000 and forests, research and
forest certification have been discussed by the Committee over
the last years. A total number of 112 meetings of the Standing
Forestry Committee have been held from 1999 to the end of 2009.
Over the years, the third role of the SFC, the exchange of
information between Member States and with the Commission, has
become more important, which is reflected in the increasing
number of presentations made by Commission staff from the
different services, including information on forestry research,
UNFF, FLEGT, etc. This development has met with a positive
reaction from the Member States, as it responds to the growing
need for timely information about ongoing and planned Community
initiatives and activities.
The SFC plays an active role in ensuring that the EU Forest
Action Plan works in practice, facilitating exchanges of
experience, sharing information, strengthening cooperation
between the SFC and stakeholders and preparing recommendations
on specific topics.
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