Piecing together the jigsaw: Forests in the EU's Fit for 55 Package

Abstract

This article considers the intricate regulatory jigsaw of forest governance that has emerged from the Fit for 55 Package. It focuses on the 2023 revision of the Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry Regulation, the treatment of forest biomass in the 2023 Renewables Directive, and Regulation on carbon removals and carbon farming. The article explores the interconnections between these instruments, their relationship with other relevant EU Law instrument, and their projected impacts. Recognising the evolving nature of law and policy in this area, we offer an initial assessment of this regulatory jigsaw, highlighting the challenges of balancing the cultural, economic, social, political, and scientific considerations intersecting in EU forest governance.