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Andrew Doyle announces funding from Ireland to the European Forestry Institute
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for forestry, Andrew Doyle, today announced funding by Ireland for 2018 for the European Forestry Institute (EFI). The announcement came during a visit by the Minister to the EFI head office to Joensuu in Finland as part of the Minister’s visit to Finland for a series of engagements on agriculture and forestry related issues.
The Minister commented
Finland has an extensive and mature forestry sector while Ireland’s forest sector continues to grow. While acknowledging the different scales of our respective forestry sectors, both countries have world class sawmilling and panel board sectors and are very focused on the exports with most of the forest product processed in both countries being exported. Finland is the most forested country in Europe with a level of innovation in their forest sector from which we can learn valuable lessons. My Department is currently co-chairing the implementation of Ireland’s National Bioeconomy Strategy and there are a number of lessons this week of direct relevance to this.
On the role of the EFI, the Minister noted
Since its establishment, the EFI has played a key role in the co-ordination and facilitation in forest related research. Ireland has been a key partner of the EFI for many years and we have benefitted in many ways, not least from their support on policy related issues in areas such as climate science and Bioeconomy development. Ireland has contributed annually, since its ratification of the EFI Convention in 2010, under a number of initiatives and facilities and I am pleased to announce our contribution this year of €65,000 towards the continuation of EFI’s work. Some of this funding is ear-marked for the EFI’s multi-donor Trust Fund which was recently chaired by my Department and some for REDD which will help to combat international forest degradation.
Commenting on the funding announcement, Marc Palaí, Director of the European Forest Institute, said
This funding is further evidence of the contribution by Ireland to our work. Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has always taken a proactive attitude to shape the EFI strategy, and leads with other countries and in ensuring that the EFI becomes the honest broker for science policy debate.
The Minister’s visit continues with further events in Helsinki later this week including a number of events promoting Irish food and drink in the Finnish market. The Minister will also have further political bi-laterals with the Finnish Government including a meeting with the Minister for European Affairs where the key issues will be deepening relations between both countries on key issues such as Brexit and CAP funding.