BRITAIN: An article from a European Commission document entitled "EU Action Plan for Sustainable Forest Management" has been accepted by Britain's Plain English Campaign as a contender for one of its Golden Bull awards.
The document states: "A participatory and collaborative approach to policy formulation and implementation is a pre-condition for good governance. There is a need to review and strengthen the consultation structures in forestry at Community and national level, in order to facilitate transparency in decision-making and a structured dialogue with all stakeholders."
It continues: "In providing a reference framework for forest-related policies, initiatives and actions, the EU Forestry Strategy has changed the way forest-related issues are discussed today. However, the changes in the policy context suggest that a more coherent and pro-active approach to governing the union's forest resources is needed in the future.
"Such an approach should be based on a shared vision of the EU's forest sector and the challenges it faces at global, Community and national levels, and on a shared understanding of what forests and forestry can contribute to modern society. It should encompass a set of clear objectives that can provide a basis for regular monitoring and stocktaking, and bring together the thematic, horizontal and cross-sectoral policy initiatives at Community and national level in a structured framework to encourage better and more effective co-ordination and consultation, and promote the flow of information among the various actors concerned."
Plain English Campaign spokeswoman Ann Baslington-Davies said: "There may be something of importance or interest hidden in all this nonsense, but it's very well disguised. Our sympathies have to go to the poor translators who will have the difficult task of translating this into the 20 languages of the European Union."