Report from the Presidency on the past term:

1. Report from the Presidency on the past term: A main issue for the presidency during the past term has been the continuing work concerning ”Public Relations”, by which term the presidency is thinking of the internal and the external exchanges and flows of information from UEF to its members, decision takers on forestry matters, likewise organisations within forestry and others. It has been the wish of the presidency: - to maintain and further strengthen the homepage of the UEF in order to make the homepage the decisive, stable and obvious tool for the spreading and exchange of information among foresters in Europe. By the creation of a user friendly and lively homepage it is the wish of the presidency to promote:   - the development of new methods and ways of exposing the existence of UEF and the role of foresters in the European society.   - to encourage and secure a larger flow of information from the presidency to the members and vice versa.

2. The updating of the homepage has been an on going process for several years. During 2003 and 2004 the latest larger renewal took place and a very informative and well described manual of the homepage was distributed to all members during the summer of 2004. A number of expiry dates were since given to the member organizations to do their part of the updating work concerning their national parts of the homepage. The achievements were however small and not satisfactory. The homepage of today is therefore still in lack of updating from several organisations and it has still not achieved to be used intentionally by the member organizations as an valuable tool for external information about their organisations and national events. ”You must walk before you can run” is the old saying. The truth of this saying is also valid concerning the achievement of greater flow of information within and outside the UEF. It is therefore necessary that the remaining obstacles concerning an overall updating of the homepage are to be eliminated. By having the webmaster Steffen Brysting to take part in the Congress it is the wish of the presidency, that the organisations, who are still behind schedule concerning the updating, during the days of Congress can seek the necessary technical support from the webmaster. Niels Christiansen 31.st of May 2005

3. Dec.04 Jan. 05 Febr.05 Apr. 05 May 05 Unique visitors 479 497 521 1554 1840- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hits Denmark 2017 2330 1137 1219 1542 Hits France 312 549 ? ? 44 Hits Cyprus 282 177 212 241 201 Hits Nederlands 274 111 72 58 144 Hits Poland 219 110 519 61 226 Hits Germany 170 212 184 270 509 Hits Finland 65 261 294 285 324 Hits Norway 22 110 ? 29 36 Hits UK 19 353 67 ? ? ? Hits Bulgaria ? ? ? 775 809 Hits Romania ? ? ? 247 99 A questionmark doesn’t mean that the country hasn’t been visiting the page during a certain month – only that it was not among the twenty most visiting countries.

4. I wish to inform you that the next meeting of the Advisory Group "Forestry and Cork” will take place on Friday 8 July 2005 from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, at 1040 Brussels, Conference Centre A. Borschette, 36 Rue Froissart, (the room will be indicated in the entrance). The agenda will follow shortly. Please designate and convene yourselves: 22 experts representing producers and cooperatives [CPE (1 expert), COPA-COGECA, CEPF, ELO, USSE] 1 expert representing FECOF 1 expert representing CFN Nurseries 2 experts representing Trade (CELCAA, EUROCOMMERCE) 11 experts representing Industry (CEI-Bois, CEPI, CELiège) 3 experts representing Workers (2 EFFAT, 1 UEF) 1 expert representing Consumers (BEUC) 4 experts representing Environmentalists (EEB, WWF-EPO, BIRDLIFE, FORUM FOR PASTORALISM AND NATURE CONSERVATION) 4 experts representing the Public Forest Sector and Forest Research (Mr Gunnar Olofsson, Mr Pierre-Olivier Drege, Mr Roberts Stripnieks, Mr Risto Päivinen) PLEASE NOTE NEW FINANCIAL RULES FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPERTS AVAILABLE ON CIRCA ( http://www.forum.europa.eu.int/ )

5. To the European Commission Comments concerning the Implementation Report on the EU Forestry Strategy. During the meeting of the Advisory Group – Forestry and Cork on June the 14.th in Bruxelles the state of play of the implementation report on the EU Forestry Strategy was well described and discussed among the group. In spite of partly repeating the discussions of the meeting, I would like to point out three main topics, which are all of high concern to the Union of European Foresters. Topics that we hope it will be possible to increase the focus on during the further writing of the implementation report :   1.   Due to the present low state of importance concerning forestry matters within the EU, it is quite necessary to achieve more focus in the report on the economic and social values and potentials of forestry in regards to both economical and rural development within the EU. 2.   The report should hopefully point out more clearly the need for a stronger profile of forestry within the EU political and administrative system than today. 3.   The report should hopefully indicate more strongly the existing need for enabling the EU- organisation to secure better coordination and cooperation among the members of the EU concerning forestry. Niels Christiansen Representing Union of European Foresters in the Advisory Group