European Union forest experts today urged the 27-nation bloc to coordinate forest protection policies, an area which the Spanish EU presidency described as lagging behind other sectors, dpa reported. There was "little common policy" in forest protection, Spanish environment official Josep Puxeu said at an EU-sponsored meeting of some 200 experts in Granja de San Ildefonso near the Spanish city of Segovia. The meeting approved a document which will be submitted to EU environment ministers in June, recommending the creation of a coordination mechanism to step up the exchange of information and to adopt measures against the degradation of forest areas. Puxeu said the document was only a starting point for what should be a much more ambitious forest protection policy. About 40 per cent of EU territory is covered by forested areas. Threats to them include wildfires, depopulation and desertification caused by global warming.
