Forest partnership coordinated by Finland brings European forest organisations together

The European Partnership ‘Forests and Forestry for a Sustainable Future’ brings together about 100 organisations from 28 countries to develop forest research and strengthen international cooperation. Finland acts as the coordinator of the project, with the work led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

To be launched in 2026, the European Partnership ‘Forests and Forestry for a Sustainable Future’ is an extensive package involving more than 100 organisations from 28 countries. The aim is to enhance coherence within the international research landscape that is now quite fragmented. The aim is also to create permanent structures for international cooperation in support of the EU’s forest, climate and biodiversity strategies. 

“The forest partnership is a 10-year research programme designed for European actors in the forest sector. It is a unique opportunity to develop sustainable forest management and strengthen cooperation in the sector,” says Mika Kallio, Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. 

The forest partnership project is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe Programme, and its estimated total budget is more than EUR 235 million. The plan is to provide funding for as many as 250 projects through seven calls for international research project applications. 

Mikko Peltonen, Research Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and Project Coordinator Mika Kallio spoke about the background and objectives of the European forest partnership project at the National Forest Days event on 23 October. The National Forest Days is an annual event for forest sector experts to learn about and discuss topical matters.

The presentation by Peltonen and Kallio stressed the long experience the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has in forest cooperation at the EU level, which creates a solid foundation for its role as the coordinator. The Ministry’s responsibilities include serving as a link between the participating organisations and taking part in the definition of the work packages and targets. 

“The European forest partnership continues in an excellent way the work we have done at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for over 20 years for the benefit of international networking in forest research. Now Finland is leading the way to take a step to a whole new level,” Peltonen says. 

Peltonen and Kallio also stressed that, even if it will take quite a long time to see concrete results from the research projects, the partnership already offers tools that will enable us to react fast to topical challenges. 

Inquiries:

Mikko Peltonen, Research Director, tel. +358 295 162 296
Mika Kallio, Project Coordinator, tel. +358 295 162 212 
Email addresses are in the format [email protected]