Aigars Prūsis 🇱🇻

A Letter on forests to Ursula von der Leyen Sweden consists of almost 70% forest land. We Swedes have cared for the forest and lived in it, by it, and from it for generations. It has warmed our homes in the winter, provided timber for our houses, and sustained entire communities. Every child learns woodworking in school. The forest is part of our culture and a central element of the right of public access, where every Swede enjoys great freedom and takes great responsibility. In large parts of Europe, the landscape is flat. When we speak of our vast forests in the EU, some believe we mean small parks – they have rarely seen anything that can compare to a Nordic coniferous forest. While other European countries spent centuries cutting down large parts of their forests, we have continued to use ours – but also to replant. We create jobs, build climate-smart wooden houses instead of concrete ones, and develop biofuels from forest residues that replace gasoline in the tank. Today, forestry provides a livelihood for around 140,000 Swedes. Another northern country that sells a lot of timber is Russia. After the invasion of Ukraine, many countries stopped buying Russian wood and turned instead to Sweden and Finland. That prevents money from flowing into the Russian war chest and creates jobs here in the Nordics. The EU’s current framework for forest use, known as LULUCF, is a major problem and, if not revised, would lead to unreasonable and unjustified restrictions on Swedish forestry. We have managed our forests for hundreds of years, and we know how to do it well. To in practice severely restrict large parts of Nordic forestry is the wrong path to take, for many reasons. When Swedish trees become wooden houses or biofuels, it reduces Europe’s climate footprint. That is why today, together with Finland’s Prime Minister @PetteriOrpo, I have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula @vonderleyen. We want the EU to truly make use of the flexibilities available within the LULUCF legislation – for the sake of the climate, and for Europe’s security. Allowing us to care for and use the vast forests of the Nordic region is not only about safeguarding a Northern European tradition, it is also a prerequisite for the green transition. And it is far better for Europe’s security that timber is exported from stable democracies in the Nordics than from Russia.