This week, CNVP Kosovo hosted a roundtable on the Rural Development Plan and Forestry Sector, focusing on the participation of private forest owners in public support programs, including Measure 11: Creation and Protection of Forests.

The SUNREED project has continuously supported partners through advocacy and examples from regional and EU forestry programs, ensuring that the involvement of strategic sector partners in working groups makes for effective implementation and the achievement of all objectives and results.

Discussions showed the need for clearer and better-organized support from institutions. so that private forest owners are better supported. Participants asked for simplifying administrative procedures, improving access to information, and providing technical assistance to make Measure 11 more effective in practice.

Key topics included the importance of investing in high-quality seedlings, developing local production capacities, strengthening collaboration between institutions and forest owners, and drawing lessons from EU countries like Sweden, Croatia, Latvia and Slovenia. It was also agreed that using digital tools and innovative approaches was a way to improve transparency, monitoring, and overall forest management.

The roundtable concluded that clear policies, strong support, and active cooperation with forest owners are key to making Measure 11 work and supporting sustainable forests and rural communities in Kosovo. 

This initiative is part of the SUNREED project, implemented by CNVP Kosovo and funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina (Sida).