Highlights

• The meeting brought together over 130 representatives of government administrations from more than 30 European countries – including high-level officials – as well as representatives of international organisations, the academic community and the forestry sector, and the European Commission.
• At the conference in Stockholm, Poland signed the Ministerial Declaration on long-term strategies for the protection of forest resources and the building of social and economic resilience through responsible forest management in Europe.
• Poland consistently supports sustainable forest management, based on the integration of the environmental, social and economic functions of forests and on strengthening their resilience to changing climate and geopolitical conditions.

The highlight of the conference was the signing of the Stockholm Ministerial Declaration by 31 signatories, including Poland, represented by Deputy Minister Mikołaj Dorożała. This document sets out the long-term strategic directions for measures aimed at protecting forest resources and building social and economic resilience through responsible forest management in Europe.

During the conference, Deputy Minister Mikołaj Dorożała took part as a special guest in a panel discussion on Europe’s geopolitical preparedness and resilience to future crises. During the discussion, which also drew on the experiences of Ukraine, Finland and the United Kingdom, the importance of establishing, in advance, appropriate legal, institutional and organisational frameworks that enable an effective response to crisis situations and ensure the continuity of the functioning of the state and the economy was emphasised. Deputy Minister Mikołaj Dorożała presented Polish initiatives concerning the role of the environment – including forests and nature conservation – within the national security system, as well as measures relating to the development of the National Forest Programme and the implementation of a pilot project on community forests.

The panel participants pointed out that building resilience requires the involvement of the entire value chain of the forestry sector – from public administration, through forest owners, to industry and the public. It was pointed out that an effective response to crises is only possible if cooperation and management mechanisms are in place before they occur.

During the conference, particular attention was also paid to the issue of supporting Ukraine through the ‘Forest Friends for Ukraine’ initiative, which serves as a platform for cooperation and solidarity with the Ukrainian forestry sector. This initiative forms part of wider efforts to restore and strengthen the resilience of Ukraine’s forests and forestry institutions in the face of ongoing challenges.

The conference in Stockholm confirmed that the future of Europe’s forests depends on cross-border cooperation. Poland’s active participation – including the signing of the Ministerial Declaration and the country’s involvement in discussions on geopolitical preparedness – highlighted Poland’s significant role in shaping pan-European forestry policy. Poland consistently supports sustainable forest management, based on the integration of the environmental, social and economic functions of forests and on strengthening their resilience to changing climate and geopolitical conditions.