CEI-Bois, the European Confederation of woodworking industries, set out its plans for next year and reported on the progress of Roadmap 2010 at its general assembly in Växjö, Sweden last month.
Delegates heard that the European woodworking industry and trade believes more financial input is required to promote wood and wood products more strongly and reinforce their position on the European markets.
The creation of a European wood promotion fund will be investigated further and meanwhile CEI-Bois will support the European Wood Initiative which is targeting Asian markets.
CEI-Bois will also work to eliminate trade barriers for European wood and wood-based products on foreign markets and pursue technical and environmental developments at European level.
A major topic for discussion was Roadmap 2010. A group of technical experts has been developing a plan for Building with Wood to double market share of wood in construction, while a communication plan to promote the use of wood in interiors has been developed for Living with Wood. Led by Confemadera, this initiative could be launched in Madrid in January.
The Wood in Packaging and Transport sector’s activities will be developed around lightweight packaging, pallets, and a seminar aimed at European parliament members was organised to promote the fourth sector, Wood in Sustainable Development.
The assembly also adopted a “Memorandum to the European Institutions”which stresses the importance of the industry within the EU and lists industry concerns and requests for action.
