The European Forest Institute (EFI) is to become an international organisation in order to improve its research and other operational capabilities.
EFI was founded in Finland 10 years ago to create a hub for European forest research and to act as a body able to respond to the new requirements for information posed by a changing Europe.
It has 144 members including forest research institutions and universities, from 39 countries.
Finland supports EFI with €1m a year – which represents around one-third of its budget this year.
Aarne Reunala, director-general of the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, said the change in EFI’s status will strengthen Finland’s position in international forest politics. He said it will also increase EFI’s competitiveness with regard to recruiting personnel.
