On the 23 April, the European Parliament gave its final consent to the agreement on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) which aims to make sustainable products the norm in the European Union.

Kaisa Soro-Pesonen will join the Swedish Forest Industries Federation (SFIF) as Director and Head of the Brussels Office. Kaisa joins the SFIF from a position as Head of the Brussels Office for the Confederation of Finnish Industries. Kaisa has an extensive experience from working with EU decision-making and public affairs, both as Policy coordinator at the European Commission and Managing Director of Miltton Europe and Partner at Kreab in Brussels.

The Swedish Forest Industries' Federation has published its position on the EU's next political programme, highlighting four areas that need to be prioritized in the coming years. The Federation advocates for the continuation of the Union's ambitions in the climate and environmental domains, coupled with a strengthened focus on the circular bioeconomy and competitiveness.

The EU has agreed on a framework for the certification of carbon removals, following negotiations between the Commission, Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Swedish Forest Industries Director General Viveka Beckeman believes that the forest industry’s climate work may benefit from the scheme as long as it is not used to limit active forest management.

A recent study commissioned by the Swedish Forest Industries on the environmental effect of wood harvesting in Sweden shows that the climate will not be better off if wood harvesting was restricted, and carbon stored in the forest. The assumption, which is often applied in EU policy discussions, instead leads to higher fossil emissions and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The forest bioeconomy is built on carbon circularity and wood harvesting. It provides for stable carbon storage in the forest as well as considerable displacement of fossil-based products. The conclusions are relevant for several on-going European Green Deal policy discussions, such as the revisions of the EU Forest Strategy, the LULUCF Regulation and the Renewable Energy Directive.