The European Commission adopted (1 March 2010) a Green Paper which sets out options for a European Union approach to the protection of forests and to information about forest resources and their condition. Responses to the Green Paper from the public, Member States, EU institutions and other stakeholders will guide the Commission on whether additional action is needed at EU level.

The Green Paper sets out the main challenges facing Europe's forests. It presents existing forest information systems and the tools available to protect forests, and raises a series of  questions relevant to the development of future policy options. The paper is part of the follow-up to the White Paper on adapting to climate change adopted by the Commission in April 2009.

Since competence for forest policy lies primarily with the Member States, the debate should focus on how climate change is modifying forest management and protection in Europe and how EU policy should evolve to enhance its contribution to Member State initiatives.

A public consultation on the Green Paper will run from 1 March to 31 July 2010 on the Your Voice in Europe website. As part of the consultation the Commission will organise a workshop and stakeholder meeting in Brussels as part of Green Week on 3 June. The Green Paper will also be discussed at a forest protection conference being organised by the Spanish presidency in Valsain, Spain, on 6-7 April.

The Commission will publish the contributions to the debate on the Europa website and provide its own feedback on the main outcomes of the consultation.

Public consultation on the Green Paper

Green Paper COM(2010)66 on forest protection and information in the EU: Preparing forests for climate change

White Paper COM(2009) 147 . Adapting to climate change: towards a European framework for action