FBI4EU

Forests cover around 39% of the EU territory and play an essential role in the economy, job creation, and rural development. The forest-based industry contributes 7% of the EU's manufacturing GDP, employing nearly 3.6 million people in over 400,000 companies, mostly SMEs, and particularly benefiting rural areas and local communities. European regions are essential for driving efficient forest-based management and formulating policies to enhance SMEs' competitiveness. The forest-based industry exhibits great diversity across EU regions, facing various challenges and lacking specific policies in some countries. To address the considerable variations in the forestry-industry landscape across EU regions, it is essential to establish specific regional policies tailored to each area’s unique needs. Economic progress resulting from improving the competitiveness of European forest-based SMEs has significant implications for environmental impact, aligning with Green Deal objectives,

The project aims to promote the modernisation and competitiveness of European SMEs in forest-based industries by implementing targeted policies. To reach this objective, the seven project partners will collaborate to analyse the policies implemented within the partnership, and then put in place the most appropriate measures, considering the specific needs of SMEs in each region. Various stakeholders will be involved along the forest-based value chain to enhance industry resilience. FBI4EU seeks to strengthen regional development policies and foster resource efficiency, green growth, eco-innovation, and environmental performance management among European SMEs. The focus is aligning SME competitiveness with sustainability principles through responsible resource management and respect for human rights.