Workshop Rationale

Purpose

The purpose of the forestry policy workshop¹ is to review current and emerging issues facing the development of the forestry sector in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), discuss policy implications and identify practical policy options for action. This will be achieved by:

• reviewing policy implications/options of major trends in forest use and conservation in Europe in general and the CEE sub-region in particular,
• discussing the need for improved cross-sectoral policy coordination,
• presenting environmental and economic accounts for forestry to better monitor and evaluate cross-sectoral linkages and integrate forest goods and services into national economic development and,
• promoting environmental services of forests through successful country experiences.

Context

Many of the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEE) have forest resources with important potential for local or national development. However, many of them are in a transition stage, from a centrally planned economy to a mostly market-driven economy, struggling to rapidly adapt to new laws and rules and market conditions, and to develop corresponding new forestry-related policies and institutions. At the same time, there has been a significant decline of roundwood prices in CEE countries while salary earnings in the sector have been steadily rising. On the other hand, the demand for forest environmental services has been increasing. Therefore, countries of the sub-region are forced to review their forestry development strategies and identify new policy options that will help them achieve their goal of sustainable forest management.

Process

The workshop will be facilitated by a professional facilitator and entail:

• Panel presentation and brief discussion,
• Working group work by sub-theme,
• Forum of participants (discussion of results of work of working groups).

Participation

Forestry-related policy analysts from relevant Government agencies in the following fourteen CEE countries (Albania, Bosnia/Herzegovia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia) will be invited to participate in the workshop. They will be asked to prepare and submit before the workshop a country issue report on the basis of a suggested outline. Observers from some European institutions or countries would also be invited.

Pay-off

• Improved understanding of current and emerging policy issues facing the development of the forestry sector,
• Identified practical policy options for each priority issue,
• Information and knowledge sharing and network development to facilitate the implementation of identified policy options

¹ This is the second forestry policy workshop organized in the framework of the FAO/Czech Republic Programme (GCP/INT/790/CEH).