10 
 
Afforestation, reforestation and tree planting to support biodiversity and ecosystem 
restoration will be promoted through the CAP Strategic Plans, and the Cohesion Policy 
funds. The new European Urban Greening Platform 38 will also facilitate urban tree 
planting, including under the LIFE programme.  
The share of forest areas covered by management plans should cover all managed public 
forests and  an increased number of private forests,  and biodiversity -friendly practices 
such as closer -to-nature-forestry should continue and be further developed . To support 
this, the Commission will develop guidelines on biodiversity -friendly afforestation and 
reforestation and closer-to-nature-forestry practices. This will be done in parallel with the 
new EU Forest Strategy. 
To gain a better picture of the health of European forests, the Commission will work with 
other data providers to further develop the Forest Information System for Europe. This 
will help produce up-to-date assessments of the condition of European forests and link all 
EU forest -data web -platforms. This will also be presented as part of the EU Forest 
Strategy.  
2.2.5. Win-win solutions for energy generation  
Decarbonising the energy system is critical for climate neutrality, as well as for the EU’s 
recovery from the COVID -19 crisis and long -term prosperity. More sustainably sourced 
renewable energy will be essential to fight climate change and biodiversity loss. The EU 
will prioritise solutions such as ocean energy, offshore wind, which also allows for fish 
stock regeneration, solar -panel farms that provide biodiversity -friendly soil cover, and 
sustainable bioenergy.    
To mitigate climate and environmental risks created by the increasing us e of certain 
sources for bioenergy, t he revised Renewable Energy Directive 39 includes strengthened 
sustainability criteria. It also promotes the shift to advanced biofuels based on residues 
and non-reusable and non-recyclable waste. This approach  should continue for all forms 
of bioenergy. The use of whole trees and food and feed crops for energy production  – 
whether produced in the EU or imported – should be minimised.  
To better understand and monitor the potential climate and biodiversity risks, the 
Commission is assessing the EU and global biomass supply and demand  and related 
sustainability40. As part of its increased ambition to protect and restore forest ecosystems, 
the Commission will publish the results of this work on the use of forest biomass for 
energy production by the end of 2020. This will inform the Commission’s policy -
making, including the review and revision, where necessary, of the level of ambition of 
the Renewable Energy Directive, the Emissions Trading Scheme, and the Regulation on 
land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) set for 2021.  
In line with the Renewable Energy Directive, the Commission will also develop 
operational guidance in 2021 on the new sustainability criteria on forest biomass for 
                                                 
38   See Section 2.2.8. 
39  Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources . 
40  JRC Biomass Assessment Study.