‘Dear Ursula’: EU Commission chief invited to visit Nordic forests ahead of election year

In a show of diplomatic strength, the prime ministers of Sweden and Finland have invited EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to visit their country’s forests and refrain from overburdening the sector ahead of an election year.

Forests generate 20% of Finland’s exports, while one in ten Swedes are working in the forestry business, making the sector a central pillar of the economy for the two Nordic countries.

Petteri Orpo and Ulf Kristersson, the prime ministers of Finland and Sweden, wanted to underline this in a letter sent to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 4 October.

“As you very well know, forest are an issue of great economic, environmental, cultural and social importance for Finland and Sweden, and thus also a topic of considerable political attention in our countries,” says the letter, signed by the two prime ministers.

Protecting the sector from perceived overregulation by Brussels is therefore a matter of high politics for the two Nordic countries.

“Our forests, forestry, and its value chains face a lot of pressure from newly negotiated EU legislation on energy, climate and environment,” the two leaders write.

“It is important now to take some time, focus on implementation and analyse the overall impact that these policies eventually have on forests,” they add, before warning: “Forests are best preserved through national practices and know-how”.

The subtext, without overstretching it, seems clear: Don’t add to this pressure.

The alliance between the two Nordic leaders was sealed in August this year when Orpo and Kristersson met at the Swede’s summer residence in Harpsund and agreed to intensify cooperation on shared interests.

Both leaders are affiliated with the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) of Ursula von der Leyen. So why would they take the time to send a letter to the Commission President now?

For one, Brussels is preparing for the next legislative term, which starts in the second half of 2024 after the European elections in June. In this context, Sweden and Finland want to make sure that Nordic interests – and its forestry sector – are not forgotten.

“As the preparation of the Strategic Agenda of the EU leaders is about to begin, and
Europe is heading towards elections, it is even more important to ensure, that forests
are part of the solution also in the future,” they write.

But there is a more immediate concern on the horizon: the newly announced forest monitoring law. It is no coincidence that the letter is dated 4 October, although it was only officially handed over to the Commission president two days after.

The night before, EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič committed to table an EU forest monitoring law by December as part of his successful bid to obtain the European Parliament’s support to become the bloc’s Green Deal chief.

The planned law, supported by environmentalists, aims to put in place “an EU-wide forest observation framework” providing open access to the condition and management of the Union’s forests.

Foresters, for their part, fear new red tape – a concern shared by the prime ministers of Finland and Sweden who call on the Commission President to make sure EU laws are “clear, coherent and predictable,” in line with the EU’s Better Regulation agenda.

There is also a longer-term perspective: As the Commission prepares for the next term after the June European elections, “it is even more important to ensure that forests are part of the solution also in the future,” the two leaders insist.

The explicit reference to next year’s election is a reminder that von der Leyen will need the support of fellow EPP leaders if she wants to be re-appointed for a second term at the European Commission’s helm.

“We are committed to finding the best solutions – not only for the next legislative period, but for the decades to come. And we want to work with you to achieve this,” they write, inviting von der Leyen to visit Sweden or Finland “to further discuss how we best utilise our forests’ and forestry’s potential”.

[Edited by Frédéric Simon and Zoran Radosavljevic]

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