HELSINKI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Finland and Sweden have urged the European Union (EU) to ease climate rules on forestry, warning that rigid land-use targets risk hurting their economies and disrupting timber supplies across Europe.

The Finnish government said in a statement issued on Wednesday that Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson had earlier this week sent a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlining their concerns.

Under the EU's Regulation on Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), member states must ensure that carbon absorbed by forests and other land-use sectors outweighs emissions, effectively requiring Finland and Sweden to maintain their vast forests as strong carbon sinks.

The prime ministers said this has become increasingly difficult as forest growth slows due to age structures, drought, pests and other climate-related disturbances. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has further strained the sector by ending timber imports from Russia and driving up demand for Nordic wood.

Meeting current LULUCF targets could therefore force sharp cuts in harvesting -- a step the leaders said would damage rural employment, exports and EU-wide biomass supplies.

"Significantly decreasing felling volumes is not a viable option, as this would have dire consequences for our economies. Furthermore, it would severely affect the supply of timber and forest biomass throughout the EU," Orpo said in the statement, adding that in these uncertain times, the EU must be able to allow for flexibility.

The forest sector employs more than 200,000 people across Finland and Sweden, accounting for nearly one-fifth of Finland's exports and over 10 percent of Sweden's.

The letter welcomed the Commission's readiness to work with member states on compliance but pressed for more flexibility, including technical adjustments to reflect natural variability, forest disturbances and geopolitical shifts. It also urged greater recognition of the role of forest products in substituting fossil-based materials and supporting the bioeconomy.

The LULUCF regulation is also closely linked to the EU's broader climate strategy. In July 2025, the Commission proposed a bloc-wide target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040, with removals from forests and other land-use sectors forming a key part of the calculation. Shortfalls in Finland's and Sweden's forest sinks could make that goal harder to reach.

The two leaders said they support swift adoption of the 2040 target, but only if the framework reflects "uncertainties in the land-use sector, technology neutrality, cost-effectiveness and technological sinks."

"Finnish and Swedish forests and forestry play a crucial role in achieving the EU's climate goals. Climate action and competitiveness are not opposing goals, they are complementary," Orpo noted. ■