Publications & Insight

Brexit, forests and the future of European decision making

For many living in the UK but feeling European, the referendum verdict was a great shock. With offices both in Brussels and the UK, Fern staff feel the decision particularly strongly. We have worked with Member States, MEPs,...

07/07/2016

Council offers hope to control destructive EU consumption

In the uncertain times following Brexit, the 28 June 2016 Council Conclusionson the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme strike a heartening note.

NGOs requested that the Council express strong...

07/07/2016

EU Council: Can Slovakia make progress on climate and energy?

As the Dutch presidency draws to a close, eyes turn now to Slovakia, which takes the helm of the EU Council from July to December.

The Dutch presidency came at a crucial time for the FLEGT Action Plan as described here or above....

07/07/2016

Palm oil giant under pressure to source sustainably

Cargill, one of the world’s largest agricultural trading companies, has set a deadline of 15 July 2016 for Malaysian palm oil group IOI to come up with a responsible sourcing policy. IOI is at the centre of a row over...

07/07/2016

Forest Watch

EU Forest Watch 217 - July 2016

07/07/2016

NGO Statements

Tackling illegal logging, deforestation and forest degradation – a global agenda for the EU

This letter from eight NGOs to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission encourages the EU to intensify its diplomatic efforts with major forest-rich...

21/06/2016

Annual Reports

Annual Report 2015

Last year was Fern’s twentieth anniversary, and a natural moment for us to reflect on how far we’ve come. Our previous annual report, covering March 2014 to April 2015, chronicled our achievements over the past two decades. From now on our annual reports will follow the calendar year, so this one includes some of the same period as the last. Yet there’s no need to look back over old successes again; the challenges before us are too great.

19/06/2016

NGO Statements

Letter to agriculture ministers for European Council meeting on FLEGT

This letter to agricultural ministers thanks them for their actions to control illegal logging and encourages them to ensure all forest risk commodities’ supply chains consist of only legally and sustainably sourced products, free...

18/06/2016

Climate Negotiations: Immediate action overlooked as discord revealed

The first session of climate negotiations since the adoption of the Paris Agreement has failed to prioritise immediate action to reduce emissions.

Developing countries, who are already feeling the negative impacts of a warming...

10/06/2016

Commission inundated with requests to stop burning trees

The European Commission consultation process for a new sustainable bioenergy policy received 950 responses as well as 57,000 emails from concerned individuals asking the EU to stop burning trees for energy. Most of these were from...

10/06/2016