Copa Cogeca, the umbrella group of EU farm organisations and agricultural co-operatives, has welcomed the European Parliament's rejection of a proposed forest monitoring framework in the EU.

A vote in the European Parliament yesterday (Tuesday, October 21) resulted in the proposed forest monitoring framework being shot down by MEPs.

370 MEPs voted to reject the commission's proposal, with 264 voting against the motion of rejection and nine abstaining.

"With this vote, parliament has effectively rejected the commission proposal and closed its first reading," a statement from the European Parliament said.

The European Commission proposed a Forest Monitoring Law in November 2023 to "close knowledge gaps" around the state of forests in the EU.

The aim of the law was to create a "comprehensive forest knowledge base", to offer better data and easier access to information "promoting the sustainable management and the multiple function of forests".

However, the proposed monitoring framework has never enjoyed widespread popularity, due to a concern among farm groups that it increased the regulatory burden on landowners and member states.

Responding to yesterday's developments, Copa said the parliament's decision "is a call for simplification and ground-based solutions".

The vote "marks a decisive turn against what forest owners and stakeholders have long criticized as a top-down, bureaucratic approach that failed to account for on-the-ground realities", Copa said.

The group added that the forest monitoring law would have "stifled the forestry sector under excessive red tape, threatening its resilience and competitiveness".

"For over two years, European forest owners have warned that the commission’s approach ignored the practical challenges faced by the sector, risking the very goals it sought to achieve," Copa said.

"Yesterday's outcome signals a much-needed shift towards greater collaboration between the European Commission and member states, as well as those implementing policies on the ground," the group said.

"The focus must now be on leveraging existing tools and systems to support the forestry sector, leaving no regions behind," Copa said.

The organisation said that forest monitoring should continue to rely on established reporting mechanism, including national forest inventories, as well as regional systems.

Yesterday, the European Commission published its work programme for 2026, including a list of legislative withdrawals it intends to withdraw. The forest monitoring law is included in this list of abandoned legislation, a move Copa welcomed.