site.btaBulgaria Lacks Up-to-Date Forest Strategy, Risks EU Commitments, Economic and Social Council Warns

Bulgaria’s forests face serious systemic risks due to outdated policy planning, weak data and declining forest health, according to a newly adopted opinion by the Economic and Social Council made public Friday. In its opinion titled "Forests as a Strategic Resource in the Context of Sustainable Management and Economic Development", adopted at a plenary session, the Council warns that the most acute problem is the absence of an updated National Forest Strategy following the expiration of the previous one in 2020.

The Council also points to a failure to carry out a national forest inventory using EU-harmonized methods, resulting in a lack of reliable data, inconsistent policymaking and risks to Bulgaria’s ability to meet its European commitments.

The report highlights a worrying deterioration in the phytosanitary condition of forests, particularly conifer plantations outside their natural habitats and coppice forests, which account for more than half of the country’s forested areas. Insufficient active forest management and the accumulation of biomass are said to be increasing vulnerability to forest fires, pests and other large-scale damage.

According to the Council, the forestry sector is lagging behind in modernization, suffering from labour shortages and facing a demographic collapse in mountain regions. The opinion calls for the urgent adoption of a new long-term forest strategy and a reform of the sector’s management model.

The previous National Strategy for Development of the Forest Sector (2013–2020) defined forestry as a pillar of sustainable development and regional livelihoods, particularly in rural and mountainous areas, according to information published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.The Economic and Social Council is an advisory body bringing together representatives of employers’ organizations, trade unions and civil society. It issues opinions, analyses and resolutions on economic, social and labour-related policies, either at the request of parliament or the government or on its own initiative. Its recommendations are not legally binding, and authorities are not required to implement them, but they carry political weight as part of Bulgaria’s institutionalized social dialogue and are often cited in policymaking and EU-related consultations.