“Political poachers from the EU are now trying to enter the Polish forest from the other side, using ecological organizations as bait. If – as the ECJ wants – they are given the right to sue forest management plans, we would have arbitrariness and chaos instead of planned development, says PiS MEP Izabela Kloc in an interview with the wPolityce.pl portal.
wPolityce.pl: Does the Court of Justice’s ruling against Poland mean another attempt to degrade Poland’s forests?
Isabella Clock: Recently we have witnessed a real “forest” intensification on the part of the EU institutions. First, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee came up with a controversial, even theft idea in January for the European Union to gain more control over forest management and biodiversity in member states. Already at such an early stage of EU legislation, Poland firmly said no. The idea did not arouse enthusiasm in other countries either. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. Political poachers from the EU are now trying to enter the Polish forest from the other side, using ecological organizations as bait. If – as the CJEU wants – they were given the right to sue forest management plans, we would have arbitrariness and chaos instead of planned development. Brussels may not like it, but Polish forest management is carried out in a sustainable, rational and, above all, planned manner, as in few EU countries. Our forests are adapted to climate change through the selection of tree species, taking into account dynamically changing conditions. It is a long-term process, measured not by the term of office of the European Parliament, but by the lifespan of trees. Maintaining a diverse forest structure increases biological resistance to extreme weather events, climate change and maximizes oxygen production and carbon dioxide binding. It is a complicated and extremely responsible process. For obvious organizational and historical reasons, Brussels will never outperform the government in Warsaw. Transferring national forestry competences to the European Union would be a blow to national economies and a serious threat to an effective strategy to combat global warming.
What threats to animals and birds in Polish forest management plans?
Probably no one knows this, because in the media and political commentary after the publication of the CJEU judgment, everyone writes that Polish forest management plans may be in conflict with the Habitats and Birds Directives, but it is difficult to find out what exactly it is about. Let me remind you that in Poland, Natura 2000 areas in total cover almost 20% of the country’s land area, and the European average is 18%. Polish regulations for the protection of nature, including animals and birds, do not deviate from the standards in force in Western Europe. However, this is not relevant for the CJEU. If someone, a Spanish judge, could order the closure of the Turów mine, her colleagues would be equally happy to harm Poland’s forest management under the pretext of imaginary threats to a particular species.
Why such concerns of the EC and the CJEU?
It seems that the main concern of both institutions is that Polish forest management functions very well. In the mid-twentieth century, forests covered a fifth of Poland’s territory, and today it is almost a third. The Staatsbossen collects wood, at the same time renews stands and forests existing wasteland. Every year, foresters plant as many as 500 million new trees, ie on average … 57 thousand. for one hour. Such data is impressive, because other EU countries do not have such beautiful and well-managed forests. Apparently it bothers someone.
Can we speak of a threat to Polish forest management in this situation?
If the European Union were a structure that respects its own internal rules, there would be nothing to fear. After all, the Treaty of Lisbon clearly states that forestry is the exclusive domain of the Member States. As long as Law and Justice reign, Poland will not agree to give Brussels control over national forests. Let’s not forget that this is a very important segment of the Polish economy, employing almost half a million people. On the other hand, one should be wary of the efforts of the European Commission. Brussels operates on the principle of salami, cutting off member states’ powers in the following areas of life and economy.
Why are EU institutions taking Polish forests back to the workplace?
I think there are two reasons: economic and political. Wood is no longer just a source of energy or a raw material for construction. Today, tens of thousands of products are made from wood-based materials. And the more developed the economy, the more wood it needs. In the past two decades, wood consumption in Poland has increased by 2.5 times. It is a global and civilization trend. Our resources amount to 2.6 billion cubic meters of wood, of which almost 2.1 billion are under the care of the State Forests. In Europe, we rank fifth. It’s a nice snack. On the one hand, companies from the timber industry are putting pressure on the State Forests to cut down more trees, on the other hand, ecological organizations want to stop this process. Although it is not entirely clear in whose interest the defenders of nature act? The market abhors a vacuum. If there is no wood from Poland, a supplier from another country will immediately take its place. The political reason is no less important. Perhaps Brussels’ sudden interest in forests is yet another recognition of how far the European Commission can go in its unfounded claims. The official message is that in the era of the climate crisis, forests are a common good that must be protected against the attempts of individual capitals. If successful, Brussels will focus on another area to be “protected” from member states. And so on, until the result, that is, until the creation of a federalized European state.
Thank you very much for the interview.
READ ALSO:
– Judgment CJEU in case EC vs. Poland: Nature conservation organizations should have the right to challenge forest management plans in court
– Staatsbosbeheer responds to the judgment of the CJEU: It threatens to paralyze the economy. Germany and Austria cannot complain at all about forest management plans
JJ
Source: wPolityce