The associations of the sawmill and wood industry from Germany, Austria and Switzerland held their traditional New Year's meeting at the Holztechnikum Kuchl, Salzburg, on January 29, 2025. This year's meeting was dominated by current political developments - from the government negotiations in Austria and the upcoming federal election in Germany to the EU Commission's new agenda for the next four years.<\/p>\n
View of the EU Commission<\/strong><\/p>\n The European Union's \"Agenda for Competitiveness\" published last week by the EU Commission was discussed intensively at the meeting. Announcements to reduce bureaucracy and reduce regulatory burdens were expressly welcomed by all participants. \"Our member companies, predominantly family-run small and medium-sized businesses, urgently need relief and a signal of economic policy change,\" says Dr. Stephan Lang, President of the German Sawmill and Wood Industry Association (DeSH). \"Reducing bureaucracy is the most cost-effective economic stimulus program,\" adds Markus Schm\u00f6lzer, Chairman of the Austrian sawmill industry, stressing: \"The big announcements from Brussels must now be quickly followed by concrete steps.\"<\/p>\n Constant annoyance EUDR<\/strong><\/p>\n The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which has been postponed by 12 months until the end of 2024, continues to cause great anger and uncertainty in the industry. Since the EUDR was postponed, no progress has been made towards realistic implementation, the association representatives note.<\/p>\n The fundamental problems of the EUDR remain: the regulation requires market participants to provide extensive information on their supply chains, which, without effective added value, runs the risk of\u00a0\u00a0paralyzing many companies through excessive bureaucracy\u00a0,\" says Lang. \"Our companies continue to face considerable legal and economic uncertainty,\" criticizes Schm\u00f6lzer. \"This also applies to companies in Switzerland, which are also affected by the EUDR,\" adds Michael Gautschi, Director of the Swiss Timber Industry Association.\u00a0\u00a0All three associations point out that the aim of the EUDR to curb deforestation and protect endangered forests on other continents cannot be achieved by placing burdens on the domestic timber industry. The existing EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) protects against illegal timber imports into Europe.<\/p>\n Together, the associations appeal to the EU Commission to once again question the consequences and effectiveness of the EUDR and to significantly simplify implementation for companies.<\/p>\n Network for exchange and cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n The German Sawmill and Wood Industry Association (DeSH), the Austrian Wood Industry Association and the Swiss Wood Industry work together regularly to strengthen common interests in forest and wood matters at European level.<\/p>\n About the German Sawmill and Wood Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n The German Sawmill and Wood Industry Association (DeSH) represents the interests of the German sawmill and wood industry at national, European and international level. The association supports its members, including more than 400 companies from all over Germany, in economic and industry policy matters and supports the continuous improvement of the economic and political framework conditions for the use of wood as a raw material. The association enters into dialogue with representatives from the media, business, politics and research. In implementing its goals, the German sawmill and wood industry stands for environmentally friendly and value-adding use of wood as a material and bioenergy source.<\/p>\n About the Austrian Wood Industry Association<\/strong><\/p>\n The Austrian Wood Industry Association represents the interests of almost 1,300 wood processing companies in the building products, furniture, panel, sawmill and ski industries, as well as in other wood processing companies such as pallet manufacturing. The wood industry companies employ around 27,400 people and produce products worth EUR 9.74 billion, generating a foreign trade surplus of EUR 1.5 billion. Within the wood value chain, the wood industry is a key sector and the starting point for many other uses for wood. More than 320,000 people are employed along the forestry and wood industry value chain, particularly in rural regions. The wood industry is an indispensable part of the Austrian economy.<\/p>\n About the Swiss Wood Industry Association<\/strong><\/p>\n The Swiss Wood Industry Association represents around 200 small and medium-sized companies with a total of 2,500 employees in the sawmill and wood products industry. In Switzerland, around 90,000 people work in the entire forest and wood industry. In the sawmills, around 2 million cubic metres of round wood are processed into 1.2 million m3 of sawn wood every year. The wood harvest in the Swiss forest last year amounted to 5.2 million cubic metres.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The associations of the sawmill and wood industry from Germany, Austria and Switzerland held their traditional New Year’s meeting at the Holztechnikum Kuchl, Salzburg, on January 29, 2025. This year’s meeting was dominated by current political developments – from the … Continue reading