Hungary co-signs letter calling for review of EU forestry strategy

Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said the EU’s forestry strategy so far had been a “model of sustainable economy”, striking a balance between the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. Shifting that balance towards “Brussels bureaucrats only considering green aspects” was “unacceptable”, Nagy said.

According to a recently leaked document, the new srategy would “narrow the tasks of a multifocal, sustainable forestry strategy to preserving biodiversity”. “This would marginalise the economic and social role of forests, jeoparising jobs and the sector’s role in circular economy,” the statement said.

Hungary joined Austria’s initiative with a view to protecting the interests of some 500,000 Hungarians making a living in the sector, the statement said.

The letter to Timmermans was signed by the ministers of the Visegrad Group, Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia and Romania.