Policy brief

The EU as a "Green" Forerunner Policy Change through the European Green DealThe European Green Deal (EGD), launched in 2019, marked a turning point for EU forest and environmental policy.The EGD created political momentum to integrate forest, biodiversity, and climate objectives across horizontal policy sectors and vertical governance levels.By combining ecological sustainability with social and economic priorities, the EGD has the potential to strengthen the EU's role in global forest and environmental governance. Forests in the European Green DealTwo EU strategies are central to implementing the EGD in this context: EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 -sets overarching targets, such as protecting 30% of land and sea areas, with 10% strictly protected.It also emphasises the conservation of primary and old-growth forests and the ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. EU Forest Strategy for 2030 -reinforces and expands upon the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy by promoting closer-to-nature management, biodiversity-friendly (re-)afforestation, and a forest-based bioeconomy.Clear-cutting and monocultures are discouraged, while uneven-aged, mixed, and climate-resilient forests are promoted.Both strategies stress that conserving and restoring forests is indispensable for ecological stability, climate mitigation/adaptation, and long-term social and economic resilience.They highlight the accelerating and interlinked biodiversity and climate crises and call for integrated responses.Although formally non-binding, the strategies operate alongside legally binding EGD legislation (e.g., Nature Restoration Regulation, Regulation on Deforestation-free Products), recently updated legislation (LULUCF Regulation, Renewable Energy Directive), and other pre-EGD policies (Birds and Habitats Directives, Water Framework Directive). Beyond Forests -A Broader VisionBy linking forests, biodiversity, and climate resilience to health, economic growth, and intergenerational equity, the EU not only affects practical aspects of policymaking but also promotes norms and discourses both internally among its member states and externally in (environmental) foreign policy and trade relations.However, the EU's ambition as a "green" forerunner remains contested.Member states interpret and adopt EU policies and norms differently, often reflecting national or local priorities and stakeholder coalitions.This shows that policy change can occur less through direct compliance and more through processes of diffusion and contestation. Key Points The EGD has raised EU ambition for forest and biodiversity policies. Forests and biodiversity are framed as cross-cutting and interlinked policy issues. The EGD provides political momentum to align national and EU policies across sectors. Legitimacy and effectiveness depend on policy coherence and consideration of national/local contexts and practices to close the gap between ambition and implementation.