Sustainable Forestry in EU; Romania, United Kingdom and Sweden Case Studies

Being an essential element of the environment and source of the economic development in many counties of the world, the forest is a central subject in the sustainable development policies in the last decades. European Union, as many other international organizations, has complex forestry legislation and regulations. The basic law, adopted in 2013, EU Forest Strategy: for forests and the forest-based sector puts forests and the forest sector at the heart of the path towards a green economy and to value the benefits that forests can sustainably deliver, while ensuring their protection. Taking into account the need for an agreed holistic strategic vision on forest issues, and for ensuring that linked EU policies are fully taken into account in national forest policies, many counties have adopted a new attitude towards forestry and sustainable development. In this context many new laws and regulations passed in the last two decades in all the EU member countries. Although there are many common points in this legislation, taking into account the important differences in the forestry development on the European continent, a comparison between the different countries is needed. This paper is presenting the characteristics of the forests and forestry in 3 countries, as well as the specificity of their legal frameworks.