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The GOOD³W (Gender-Oriented Objectives for Diversity in the Wood Sector) project officially entered its implementation phase during the consortium kick-off meeting held in Rome on 2–3 July. Bringing together employers' organisations and trade unions from Italy and Bulgaria as well as CEI-Bois, the meeting marked the official launch of three years of collaboration aimed at promoting greater gender equality and diversity within the European woodworking sector. Designing the c

On 23 June, CEI-Bois followed the European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (EP ENVI Committee) public hearing on the upcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA), which discussed priorities for strengthening circularity in the EU. Construction and the role of timber were largely absent from the debate, with no specific reference to wood-based construction systems or the wood value chain as part of the circular bioeconomy. CEI-Bois reiterates its stro

On 19 June, CEI-Bois participated in the launch meeting of the European Housing Alliance following its successful membership application, joining a broad platform bringing together EU institutions, public authorities, industry and housing stakeholders to address Europe’s housing challenges. CEI-Bois welcomes the Alliance as a practical forum that should focus on a limited number of shared priorities and the key bottlenecks preventing faster housing delivery, with a clear emph

During the EOS General Assembly, members received an update from Frida Sund Falkevik (DG CLIMA) on the future of the EU's Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) framework and the pathway towards the EU's 2040 climate target. The presentation confirmed that carbon removals will remain essential for achieving Europe's climate neutrality objectives. While the forest carbon sink has continued to decline over recent years, the European Commission acknowledged that this tr

At the EOS General Assembly, Gonzalo González Jurado (DG ENV) presented the ongoing work on the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Commission's current "stress test" of the legislation. The presentation recalled that the Birds Directive combines the protection of wild bird species with practical implementation tools, including preventive measures and, where justified, derogations that take into account the realities faced by land managers, farmers, fo

On 16 June, CEI-Bois participated in the WoodPoP Governance Technical Working Group, where it raised concerns regarding the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) and its potential implications for the broader bio-based industries. In particular, CEI-Bois warned against unintended market distortions that could result from favouring sectors within the IAA’s scope over other providers of low-carbon, renewable materials, including those covered by the Bioeconomy Strategy. CEI-Bois und

On 4 June, CEI-Bois attended the joint public hearing of the European Parliament’s Housing Crisis (EP HOUS Committee) and Internal Market (EP IMCO Committee) committees on safe and sustainable construction materials in the context of Europe’s housing challenges. Discussions focused on how to meet urgent housing demand through accelerated construction and renovation, with strong emphasis on industrialised building approaches such as off-site and modular construction to improve

On 27 May, CEI-Bois and EOS participated in a New European Bauhaus webinar. The event placed strong emphasis on the reuse, renovation and repurposing of existing buildings as a key pathway for decarbonising Europe’s building sector. Throughout the discussion, speakers underlined that better use of the existing building stock can simultaneously reduce whole-life carbon emissions, limit resource consumption and contribute to addressing Europe’s housing challenges. The event ref

On 27 May, CEI-Bois attended the European Commission (DG GROW) training session on the environmental sustainability of construction products, focusing on upcoming requirements under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR-2024). The discussion highlighted key implications for manufacturers, in particular regarding environmental assessment and verification procedures, product grouping, and lifecycle-based approaches. A summary was shared with CEI-Bois Members, and the record

On 23 March 2026, CEI-Bois and EOS attended the UNECE event “Grown by Nature: A 360° online journey from trees to skyscrapers.”, which brought together architects, designers, innovators, and forestry experts to discuss recent advances in sustainable materials, bioeconomy solutions and forest management. Structured as a symbolic journey from forest ecosystems to final products, discussions highlighted the strategic role played by the wood sector in advancing towards a sustaina

In a recent Fordaq article, CEI-Bois chair, Sampsa Auvinen, proposes a deep market analysis. Link to original article: https://www.fordaq.com/news/Europe%E2%80%99s_Forestry_Paradox_Sky-High_Log_117026.html A Market Anomaly with Deeper Implications Europe is currently experiencing a striking anomaly in the forestry sector: record-high log prices that are reshaping the sawmilling industry in profound and unsettling ways. This phenomenon is not simply a matter of economics; it i

Over the past months, the European Commission has launched several consultations on forthcoming initiatives in the fields of social affairs and employment. CEI-Bois has actively engaged in these processes to ensure that the priorities of Europe’s woodworking industries are taken into account.

CEI-Bois and EOS participated at the COLI high-level international bioeconomy event, which brought together ministers and senior policymakers from across the globe to discuss the future of the forest-based bioeconomy and its role in climate neutrality and sustainable growth, taking place in Vienna on 23-25 February 2025. Unlocking the full potential of the bioeconomy requires a pragmatic, market-oriented and coherent policy framework grounded in industrial reality. In partic

Commissioner Roswall highlights the role of wood in the bioeconomy

Recent changes in US tariffs do not affect softwood lumber tariff rates, but tariffs on hardwood lumber exported to the US should be slightly lower.

On 10 February 2026, CEI-Bois & EOS participated in the Deforestation Platform meeting. In this occasion, it was explained that as provided for in Regulation (EU) 2025/2650, the obligation to collect and retain reference numbers applies exclusively to the first downstream operator or trader placing products on the market. This obligation does not extend to operators or traders further down the supply chain. This implies and it has been confirmed that downstream operators cann

On 9 February 2026, CEI-Bois requested the re-approval of Tebuconazole for use in biocidal products (product type 8) in its response to a public consultation by the European Chemicals Agency.

Following the European Commission’s proposal of 21 October 2025 for targeted amendments to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and its formal amendment proposal of 4 December 2025, the European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement that partially departs from the Commission’s original approach. A key outcome of the agreement is the introduction of a new provision requiring the European Commission to carry out a simplification review of the EUDR by

In the foreword of our 2024-2025 Advocacy Report, our Chair, Sampsa Auvinen, addresses the question of the forest carbon sink, clarifies misconceptions, and explains why sustainable management combined with long-lived wood products leads to more carbon stored overall. He reminds us of an essential point: substitution and storage must always be communicated together.