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  The European Union (EU) has become a dominant player with respect to forests. The EU not only contains huge areas of forest, but it is also one of the world's biggest importers and consumers of timber, paper and pulp. Since Sweden, Finland and Austria joined the EU, its forested area has doubled. 

In addition to its production and consumption of forest products, the EU and its Member States together provide half of all development aid in the world.  The European Commission itself is the second largest multilateral donor. This aid goes to targeted projects around the world that often impact on forests and forest peoples. Making sure these impacts are positive is one of Fern's objectives.

The EU is the biggest trade block in the world and plays an important role in international trade debates, including the World Trade Organisation. The failure of the 1999 WTO meeting in Seattle was at least partly due to disagreement between the EU and US on controversial issues such as the Accelerated Trade Liberalisation (ATL) proposal or Global Free Logging Agreement. Influencing the EU, as well as the US, is therefore essential to achieve changes in the global aid and trade system.