Forest Policy Evaluation in European Countries Using the PROMETHEE Method

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to evaluate Forest Policy performance in the countries of Europe, using a multiple criteria analysis based on forestry sector data retrieved by Eurostat. Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis is strongly connected with Policy and decision-making, and it can mitigate the uncertainty of planning providing robust solutions, while it is broadly used for agri-environmental issues. The PROMETHEE method was used to provide a ranking of the European countries in their Forest Policy performance drawing on data covering all three sustainability pillars: economy, environment, and society. According to the findings, the Czech Republic has the best performance among the examined countries regarding Forest Policy implementation. Other countries that can be singled out for best practices are Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary. Greece, on the other hand, is ranked last and the evidence verifies that the economic crisis has seriously affected the country in multiple areas. The country rankings were more volatile in the middle places, while countries with high or low performance on Forest Policy implementation maintained a more stable position across the three scenarios. The forest area as an input significantly affects the final ranking of the European countries. In general, large areas available for wood supply lead to a lower country ranking in Forest Policy performance as in Sweden, Finland, and Spain; only Germany achieves a high ranking among countries with large areas available for wood supply. The findings provide an overview of the current situation relating to Forest Policy implementation among European countries and could be used by the European Union in a future framework of Common Forest Policy in the EU.