Into the Woods: High-level decision-makers to discuss role of forests in building good living environments

On 24 November, high-level European decision-makers will convene at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia in Espoo to explore solutions forests can offer in the pursuit of good living environments. Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s guests at the Into the Woods event will be President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, European Commissioner for Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch.

On 24 November, high-level European decision-makers will convene at the Finnish Nature Centre Haltia in Espoo to explore solutions forests can offer in the pursuit of good living environments. Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s guests at the Into the Woods event will be President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, European Commissioner for Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch.

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Maria Ohisalo and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Antti Kurvinen will also take part in the event. In addition to decision-makers, the event will bring together researchers and experts in architecture and construction.

The Into the Woods event consists of an opening discussion and three parallel panel discussions. The themes of the panel discussions are ‘The future of forests’, ‘Building a carbon neutral Europe with wood’ and ‘Architecture inspired by nature’. They will be followed by a final discussion, where various stakeholders will present their views. 

The programme for the event is available on the Into the Woods website, where all discussions will be streamed live. The press conference with Prime Minister Marin, Commission President von der Leyen, Prime Minister Kallas and Deputy Prime Minister Busch will also be streamed live on the same website. The event will be held in English.

The Into the Woods event is part of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which aims to promote sustainable development, inclusion and beauty in the built environment. Bauhaus refers to the school of architecture and design established in Germany in the 1920s. The Commission has adopted Nordic Bauhaus as one of its five Bauhaus programmes. The Nordic Bauhaus programme focuses on climate impacts and circular economy in the built environment.

The Into the Woods event is organised by the European Commission, Sweden and Estonia together with Finland.

Inquiries: Jari Luoto, Director General, EU Affairs Department, tel. +358 50 468 5949, Saara Pokki, Special the Prime Minister Adviser (EU Affairs), tel. +358 50 478 6363, Matti Kuittinen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 250 268, Ministry of the Environment, Rami Kurth, tel. +358 50 465 7963, Prime Minister’s Office