site.btaBulgaria Joins Effort to Preserve Europe’s Forests

Caretaker Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Miroslav Marinov took part in the Ninth Ministerial Conference of Forest Europe in Bonn, Germany, his ministry said Friday. During the event, the Bonn Ministerial Declaration and Decision were officially signed. Marinov was authorized by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers to sign the two documents, together with the other ministers and other high-ranking officials of the 34 other signatory countries of the Pan-European Process.

The formalization of the documents gives the countries the opportunity to discuss a common way forward by promoting cross-border cooperation and their willingness to establish and support a Pan-European Forest Risk Facility (FoRISK).

The Bonn Ministerial Declaration reaffirms the commitment to strengthen the implementation of the concept of sustainable forest management and the role of Forest Europe in this regard. The Bonn Ministerial Decision sets the basis for joint efforts to enhance forest sustainability in the region.

The participants in a conference discussed the future of sustainable forest management, enhancing forest resilience and adaptive capacity, and the role of younger generations in addressing important forest and forestry issues. The forum also looked at the main results and progress of the process in the period 2021-2024.

Deputy Minister Marinov discussed with the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany, Cem Ozdemir, and other high-level representatives of signatory countries and observer organizations, such as EUSTAFOR, Bulgaria's support to the process and specifically to the establishment of FoRISK.