The EU's agriculture ministers have given their backing to a new EU-wide forest monitoring framework, which will make it possible to track progress towards achieving EU forestry targets.

The approval was secured at a meeting of agriculture ministers in the Council of the EU this week, with the council saying that the framework aims to enhance the sustainable management and "resilience" across the EU.

It is hoped the framework will lead to the creation of a "comprehensive forest knowledge base", and will offer better data and easier access to information "promoting the sustainable management and the multiple function of forests".

The proposal to create this framework is the main legislative initiative stemming from the EU Forest Strategy for 2030.

Under this framework, the European Commission, in cooperation with EU member states, would set up and operate a monitoring system to ensure "harmonised" forest data, building on the existing measurement systems of the member states.

The proposal also introduces a forest data sharing framework, making it possible for data to be exchanged between member states and at EU level.

According to the council, it simplified the commission's proposal, so that the new framework would reduce administrative burdens and costs for both forest operators and national authorities.

The council also said it introduced a "bottom-up approach", whereby national monitoring would be the starting point for EU-level policy-making on forestry monitoring.

The council raised concerns about the accuracy and reliability of data obtained through remote sensing (collecting information on forests from satellites or drones).

As a result, the council agreed that this mapping should remain the responsibility of individual member states, who are "better placed to develop cost-effective and tailored solutions that best fit their own specifications and environments".

The Council of the EU is now ready to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on the final text of the proposal, once the latter institution adopts its position.

The two-day meeting of the agriculture ministers this week (on Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24) also discussed a range of other issues, including progress made so far on the commission proposal for the protection of animals during transport.

On June 23, trade-related issues came up, as well as simplification proposals in agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and a call from 12 member states to protect words related to animals products (such as 'meat') so that they are not used on plant-based food labelling.