The Role of Bioeconomy in the Czech National Forest Strategy: A Comparison with Sweden

HIGHLIGHTS The Czech Forest Policy denotes the 2012 European Bioeconomy Strategy as one of the reference documents, while the Swedish National Forest Programme (NFP) positions the Bioeconomy Strategy as its core value. The principles of the 2012 European Bioeconomy have not been officially transposed by the Czech government, and therefore their application in the forestry sector is limited. Differences in the initial situation between the Czech Republic and Sweden now may result in various foci on the strategic measures in the 2020 Czech Forest Policy compared to Sweden. The adoption of the 2012 European Bioeconomy to uplift the bio-based manufacturers in the Czech Republic is carefully being examined through the lens of Sweden's experiences The main challenges for the Czech forest-based sector are to fulfil the need for sustainable forest biomass and high added-value products. SUMMARY The 2012 European Bioeconomy Strategy has been adopted in some European countries' national policies. However, it has not been officially included in the Czech Republic's national policy. In Sweden, the Bioeconomy Strategy has been adopted in the national policy and the National Forest Programme (NFP). The paper reviews the current forest policy in the Czech Republic in meeting the purposes of the forest-based bioeconomy by performing a comparative study between the Czech Republic and Sweden. As bioeconomy principles are core values in the Swedish NFP it aims not only to deliver sustainable forest products and ecosystem services to support forest enterprises but also to achieve a fossil-fuel-free Sweden. Although the Czech Forest Policy denotes the European Bioeconomy Strategy as one of the reference documents, it does not directly relate to shifting from fossil fuels to bioenergy. The implementation of the Czech document is limited to the forest-based sector. Bioeconomy principles are expected to be included in inter-ministerial committees at the government level in the Czech Republic. The challenges faced by the country include fulfilling the provision of sustainable forest biomass and high added-value products while harmonising forest policies and regulations.