All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodiesThis section presents a list of the EU policy instruments relevant to Europe's forests and forest sector. Most of the policies mentioned are not specifically focused on forests, but they do address forest-related aspects to some extent. For each policy, links are provided containing its description by the Eruopean Commission and the actual legal text. The list begins with a presentation of current policy and legislation, organized by the type of instrument, and is followed by legislation in the development stage.
Links to main forest-related EU policies
Legislation in force
Directives
Habitats Directive - 1992/43/EEC (legal text)
Marketing of forest reproductive material - 1999/105/EC(legal text)
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence - (EU) 2024/1760 (legal text)
Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law - (EU) 2024/1203 (legal text)
Waste Framework directive - (EU) 2018/851 (legal text)
Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) - (EU) 2018/2001 (legal text)
Amending Renewable Energy Directive - (EU) 2023/2413 (legal text)
Regulations
EU Plant Health Regime - (EU) 2016/2031 (legal text)
EU Timber Regulation - (EU) 995/2010 (legal text)
EU environmental economic accounts – (EU) 691/2011 (legal text)
Invasive alien species regulation - (EU)1143/2014 (legal text)
Regulation on compliance with the Nagoya protocol – (EU) 511/2014 (legal text)
Regulation on Land use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) revised (2023) - (EU) 2018/841) (legal text)
Sustainable Finance Framework - (EU) 2020/852 (legal text)
Climate Neutrality Framework - (EU) 2021/1119 (legal text)
Digital Europe Programme - (EU) 2021/694 (legal text)
European Climate Law (EU) 2021/1119 (legal text)
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - (EU) 2021/2115 (legal text)
Regulation on deforestation-free products - (EU) 2023/1115 (legal text)
Nature Restoration Regulation - (EU) 2024/1991 (legal text)
Strategies, plans and others
EU Bioeconomy Strategy - COM/2018/673 (legal text)
The European Green Deal - COM/2019/640 (legal text)
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 - COM/2020/380 (legal text)
Farm to Fork Strategy - COM/2020/381 (legal text)
EU Adaptation Strategy - COM/2021/82 (legal text)
Genetic Resources Strategy (2021)
EU Forest Strategy for 2030 - COM/2021/572 (legal text)
REPowerEU Plan – COM/2022/230 (legal text)
Circular Economy Monitoring Framework – COM/2023/306 (legal text)
Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership – COM/2024/98 (legal text)
Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU – COM/2024/137 (legal text)
Managing Climate Risks – COM/2024/91 (legal text)
The Clean Transition Dialogues – COM(2024)163 (legal text)
Towards an ambitious Industrial Carbon Management for the EU - COM(2024)62 (legal text)
Securing our future-Europe's 2040 climate target - COM(2024)63 (legal text)
Voluntary instruments and guidelines
3 Billion Tree Planting Pledge for 2030 - (SWD(2021)652) (legal text)
Guidelines for Defining, Mapping, Monitoring and Strictly Protecting EU Primary and Old-Growth Forests - (SWD(2023)62) (legal text)
Guidelines on Biodiversity-Friendly Afforestation, Reforestation and Tree Planting - (SWD(2023)61) (legal text)
Funding programs
Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) - (EU) 2021/783 (legal text)
European Social Fund (ESF+) - (EU) 2021/1057 (legal text)
Horizon Europe (EU) 2021/695 (legal text)
New European Bauhaus (NEB) - COM(2021)573 (legal text)
Recovery and Resilience Facility - (EU) 2021/241 (legal text)
Policy in development stage
Energy Performance of Buildings (recast) - COM(2021)802 (legal text)
Regulation on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products - COM(2022)142 (legal text)
New Regulation on Construction Products - COM(2022)144 (legal text)
Carbon Removal Certification - COM(2022)672 (legal text)
Regulation on packaging and packaging waste - COM(2022)677 (legal text)
Revision Plant Health Regulation – COM(2023)661 (legal text)
Green Claims Directive - COM(2023)166 (legal text)
New Genomic Techniques - COM(2023)411 (legal text)
Soil Monitoring and Resilience - COM(2023)416 (legal text)
Plant Reproductive Material - COM(2023)414 (legal text)
Forest Reproductive Material - COM(2023)415 (legal text)
Amending the Waste Directive - COM(2023)420 (legal text)
Setting up a Standing Forestry Committee - COM(2023)727 (legal text)
Monitoring Framework for resilient European Forests - COM(2023)728 (legal text)