(Adnkronos) – The European Parliament has approved the proposal to reject the European Commission’s proposal for the establishment of a framework for monitoring European forests with 370 votes in favor, 264 against, and 9 abstentions. In the morning, the relative majority party, the EPP, had announced its intention to sink the proposal, considering it too burdensome, costly, and not adequate for EU priorities.
The European Parliament thus contrasts with the favorable opinion adopted by the European Council last June, as well as the EU executive’s initiative launched in 2023 to provide the Twenty-Seven with a single instrument to monitor progress made towards achieving EU actions that directly affect the forests of its member states.
However, in a separate vote, MEPs agreed (with 327 votes in favor, 256 against, and 58 abstentions) on the extension of the tasks of the Standing Group of Experts on Forests and Forestry. “The new group will have to assist the Commission and provide it with expertise in the preparation and implementation of relevant EU legislative proposals and other policy initiatives,” explains a statement from the European Parliament, emphasizing that MEPs want it “to be able to provide such advice proactively” and that the Commission “is obliged to consult it and provide feedback on how it has followed up on the proposals received.”
