FOREST EUROPE: on the road to the next Ministerial Conference in Sweden

07 / 01 / 2026

FOREST EUROPE is a high-level voluntary political process for dialogue, cross-sectoral cooperation and transboundary cooperation in the field of forests and forestry in Europe. Its objectives are to strengthen sustainable forest management (SFM) throughout the pan-European region and to provide appropriate responses to current forest policy challenges faced by its signatories, as well as to allow a certain degree of flexibility in addressing new and emerging issues.

The FOREST EUROPE process, or the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, as this political process was known in its early days, is unique due to its voluntary and informal nature, combined with high-level political dialogue. This combination makes it possible to respond effectively to current and emerging issues that have an impact on forests, forestry, and forest-related human activities and well-being. The FOREST EUROPE process gave rise to the definition of sustainable forest management as we know it today, as well as to sustainability tools, namely the criteria and indicators and the planning and management guidelines that are used. The presidency of this process is rotating and is currently held by Sweden.

In October, an Experts’ Level Meeting (ELM) was held online, in which the USSE participated. In line with the Bonn Ministerial Declaration and based on the long-term vision of Forest Europe, the implementation of the 2025–2026 Work Programme reflects the overarching political priorities on climate change, mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity protection, the promotion of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy, and flexibility towards new and emerging issues, among others. The 2025–2026 Work Programme focuses more strictly on delivering the main priorities of the Bonn Ministerial Declaration. This is partly due to limited resources and partly because the Swedish presidency will be shorter, lasting two years instead of the usual four or five years to date.

During these two years of the Swedish presidency, Forest Europe will focus its work on two aspects:

• The objective of Working Line 1 is to ensure that Forest Europe continues to promote sustainable forest management (SFM) and to keep its Criteria and Indicators (C&I) at the forefront of policy development and forest management.
• The objective of Working Line 2 is to ensure the stability of Forest Europe as a high-level voluntary pan-European forest policy process and to discuss possible solutions to secure the financial and political stability of Forest Europe from 2027 onwards.

In addition, at the beginning of 2026, the “State of Europe’s Forests” report will be published. This report, produced every five years by FOREST EUROPE, is the flagship report of the FOREST EUROPE process. It provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on the status and trends of forests and forestry in the pan-European region, based on the criteria for sustainable forest management, with the aim of delivering maximum value and meaningful information to support effective policy-making by policymakers and decision-makers.

The Swedish presidency will conclude at the next Ministerial Conference, which will be held next year in Stockholm, and these issues will be addressed in the documents that ministers will sign at that conference.

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