From European sawmills comes a clear message to Brussels: a more realistic approach is needed to forest regulation and to the Union’s climate targets. Meeting in Oslo for its general assembly, the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (Eos) has called on the European Commission to “stop the clock” on the Eudr, the regulation against deforestation (we discussed it in this article, ed.), and to suspend its application for all companies, regardless of their size.
At the center of the discussions lies the conviction that wood represents a key resource for the green transition: a material capable of storing carbon for decades and reducing emissions when it replaces energy-intensive products such as steel and concrete. Eos also reiterated that sustainable forest management, based on responsible harvesting, prompt reforestation and adaptation to climate change, is compatible with a greater valorisation of wood products in construction and in industry.
The sector – as explained in the press release issued by Eos – therefore calls for greater flexibility in Lulucf (Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry) targets, the European framework that regulates carbon absorption in soils and forests, and for the recognition of the climate value not only of forests but also of long-life wood products, which prolong carbon storage and replace more emissive materials.
The organisation also urges the adoption of a framework of policies and incentives for the bioeconomy, capable of attracting investment along the entire supply chain and stimulating the production and consumption of wood-based products. “A well-designed bioeconomy,” Eos notes, “can combine industrial prosperity with climate neutrality.”
But it is on the regulatory front that Eos’s position becomes sharper: industry representatives have expressed deep concern about the European Commission’s revised proposal on the Eudr, which introduces significant changes only a few weeks before the regulation enters into force. According to Eos, the decision to differentiate application dates – 30 December 2025 for large and medium-sized enterprises, one year later for micro and small ones – creates only “an illusion of flexibility.” This is because, in a reality of integrated supply chains, all companies will have to comply simultaneously in order to continue trading. Furthermore, the obligation to communicate the reference codes of due-diligence statements – the organisation points out – remains unchanged, effectively making the promise of a reduction in bureaucratic burdens meaningless.
