1. 125th Standing Forestry Committee meeting 14 September 2012, Brussels
Item 5c Forest fires- Commission expert group on forest fires
By Ernst Schulte
European Commission, Brussels
Directorate general Environment
Feb-19
DG Environment — Unit B1

2. History
: measures to develop the forestry sector, linked to the common agricultural policy (protection against atmospheric pollution and fires, research)
: first Community forest action programme (afforestation, forest development in rural areas, cork, forest protection,etc.)
:  Forest fire  Regulation 2158/92
: Forest Focus Regulation 2152/2003
: LIFE+ Regulation 614/2007
Over the last periods several Rural Development Regulations
Currently, forest fire issues are supported by several EU instruments, such as Rural Development, Regional policies (Interreg projects, Solidarity Fund, Cohesion policy), LIFE+ and civil protection assistance/projects, as well as EU research programmes
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3. The group of experts on forest fires
Since 1998, the European Commission convenes the expert group twice a year. DG Environment and Joint Research Centre are organising the meetings.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) has provided an ideal platform for countries to exchange good practices on fire prevention, fire fighting, restoration measures and other activities related to fire management.
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4. The European Forest Fire Information System http://effis. jrc. ec
EFFIS is the main working domain of the expert group.
Since the beginning, the system is a follow-up of the « common core for forest fire data» existing so far under Regulation 2158/92 on the protection of the Community’s forests against fires and the Forest Focus Regulation 2152/2003 on monitoring forests in the Community.
With the help of the experts, the Commission publishes a yearly report on forest fires
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5. Participants of the expert group
Participation is voluntary, but the experts are to be designated by their national authorities and registered at the Commission's Secretariat-general.
They have different background according to the national structures (environment, agriculture/forests, interior/civil protection).
So far, experts from 37 countries participate:
- all EU Member States except BE, LX, MT, DK
- Albania, Croatia, FYROM, Kosovo, Montenegro, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey
- Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia
+ other Commission services and EU institutions, FAO and UNECE
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6. Support of FAO activities
The expert group on forest fires supports:
the implementation of the fire management voluntary guidelines developed by a broad group of stakeholders (subject to adaptation to the European conditions).
The fire prevention related recommendations as a result of the « Sabaudia » workshop organised in May 2008.
Position Paper « Wildfire Prevention in the Mediterranean » - A key issue to reduce the increasing risks of Mediterranean wildfires in the context of climate change:
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7. Silva Mediterranea (SilvaMed)
FAO supports statutory bodies to provide neutral fora for discussion in the field of forestry.
Silva mediterranea is one of the statutory bodies that cover the Mediterranean region. It is a forum for advising and taking action on key forestry issues for Mediterranean countries.
The work of the FAO Forestry statutory bodies is a combination of problem identification and policy and technical advice to FAO, its members and others as appropriate.
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8. Recent developments
EFFIS is highly appreciated, as it is the only forest fire monitoring system managing data on fire risk evolution, fire danger forecast, damage assessment and related issues.
With the support of Silva Mediterranea (FAO) and the German society for international cooperation GIZ, the Commission prepared the ground for involving Middle East and North African countries. The southernmost newcomers to EFFIS are Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon.
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9. Next meeting
The expert group will hold its 29th meeting on 5th and 6th November 2012 at the JRC premises in Ispra, Italy.
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