Meeting of bilateral dialogue on forest products

May 24, 2019 by Videoconference

Joint report

The second CETA Dialogue on Forest Products, established under Article 25.4 of the CETA, took place via video conference on May 24, 2019.

1. Trade in forest products, including issues related to certification requirements for pre-fabricated structures, requirements for six-sided wrapping for heat-treated softwood lumber, and interpretation of data requirements for customs declarations.

Both parties agreed to:

• Coordinate issues addressed in the Dialogue on Forest Products with other relevant dialogues and committees
• Share information about and focal points to connect Canadian suppliers of forest products with European sectoral associations.

2. Sustainable forests in the fight against climate change

Both parties agreed to:

• Share information about: bioeconomy; cascading use of biomass; deforestation and forest degradation; climate mitigation and adaptation; industrial transformation and respective standards.

3. Implementation of the EU bioenergy sustainability criteria post-2020

Both parties agreed to:

• Share information about: forthcoming studies; implementation guidance; respective tools and standards, as well as forthcoming events.

4. EU-Canada co-operation on research and innovation

Both parties agreed to:

• Share information about: Horizon 2020 Work Programme; advances in bioeconomy  research and innovation for the transition to a circular, low-carbon economy, and related events, best practices, indicators for bioeconomy and case studies.

5. Other issues

Both parties agreed to:

• Share information on issues related to the Paris Agreement, including forests, climate mitigation and climate adaptation
• Share information on any developments or updates to long-term low carbon development strategies under the Paris Agreement related to the forest sector
• Exchange information and experiences on forest-based industries’ progress toward a low-emissions and climate resilient future, starting at the 2019 EU Raw Materials Week.
• Exchange information on November 2019 Joint Working Session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry and European Forestry Commission.
• Progressively identify a cooperation agenda for this dialogue

6. Next steps

• It was agreed that the next bilateral dialogue would take place in the first half of 2020.
• Parties will agree by email the list of action items.

Participants

EU

European Commission

• DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW)
• DG Trade
• DG Energy
• DG Research and Innovation
• DG Joint Research Centre (JRC)

Canada

• Global Affairs Canada, Technical Barriers and Regulations division
• Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service, Trade and International Affairs Division and Economic Analysis Division
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Canada Delegation to EU