Europe's forests are growing at the rate of about 360 million cubic metres annually, yet only two-thirds of this growth is being exploited. Given that forests are essential to the global energy balance, the vital role of forests in combatting climate change were among the major issues to be debated at the first-ever European Forest Week, held in FAO Headquarters a couple of weeks ago. This convention underlined the necessity of integrating new sectors such as agriculture, water management and social development. Mr. Wulf Killmann, Director of Forest Product and Industries Division at FAO, talked about this subject.