France has the presidency before us and Sweden after us. I believe that many issues will bring our three countries together, but the most important one is probably sustainability. So we have a chance to work on this important topic for 18 months — three EU presidencies from three countries. Sustainability has three pillars: environmental, economic and socio-political. If one pillar is forgotten, the whole edifi ce will be unstable and will not last. From this perspective, the Czech Republic can build on the French presidency and promote not only nuclear energy, but also biomass as examples of sustainable energy sources. Biomass involves heating with wood produced in forests in a sustainable way, as exemplified by our country. We can also work to combat so-called “imported deforestation”. Sweden will undoubtedly be interested in getting involved in forestry-related issues. In this way, we can save our beautiful forests. Let us have the courage to express our opinion in European politics and let us fi nd partners among the Member States, like France and Sweden, on forestry.
Constantin Kinský, KINSKÝ Žďár, a.s., Chairman of the Board
