The event attracted more then 100 participants from different spheres of the Forest Based Sector (FBS) and beyond: scientists and researchers from research organisations, universities, political decision makers from national, private and public funding institutions, decision makers from EU Commission and related agencies, decision makers from national and regional ministries and administrations, SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and industry.
The aim of the conference was to transmit the global project message to those who should be the potential users of the project results and to position the EFORWOOD project as a possible instrument for increasing sustainability and competitiveness of the FBS.
It was a cooperative event between policy and scientific communities, which sought to provide a forum to debate the existing project achievements, the interaction between policy, economic and research communities, as well as the implementation of project results in the future.
The first day of the conference offered the topics presented by external stakeholders - from industry to policy makers and sector's NGOs.
The keynote speakers, such as Maria Gafo Gómez-Zamalloa from EU Commission, Mikael Eliasson from CEI-Bois and Tamas Marghescu from IUCN, highlighted some of the top issues that FBS sector faces. Climate change, sustainability and competitiveness of the sector, importance of renewable energy use and recycling materials, biodiversity and conservation aspects, were just some of the topics discussed.
The overall conclusion of day one was that there is a significant need for more interaction between different stakeholders involved in FBS. More common approaches and initiatives should be adopted. It was concluded that the EFORWOOD project could offer the knowledge base needed to meet the competitiveness and sustainability challenges facing the sector.