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This  paper mainly reviews the NFP process, as discussed by the IPF panel and  European    workshops in this field. It focuses on three issues i) basic terms,  objectives and principles or    elements of the concept NFP, ii) evaluation of national forest programmes,  with justification,    strengths and weaknesses, iii) implementation of NFPs, including  requirements for success.    Finally gaps in NFPs and priorities for future action are discussed.    During the last years national forest programmes have received considerable  attention as the    reference framework for sustainable management. The following elements are  considered as the most important: 1) participatory mechanisms 2) holistic and inter-sectoral approaches 3) national sovereignty 4) long term and iterative process 5) capacity building 6) effective co-ordination and    conflict resolution schemes.    A specific conclusion, which already can be drawn, proves that procedural  instruments are too    weak to achieve the NFP's objectives. Generally the following three  limiting factors are    recognised: funding, institutional capacity and co-ordination among all  interested parties at the    national and international level. However, the fact that issues of forest  policy are back on the    political agenda is seen as very advantageous.    The overall conclusion is that the NFP process is far from rooted in  national forest policies. The    major problem is the vagueness of the term. Further clarification of the  meanings and    dimensions of the elements and principles is required.

In  Flanders, the first serious regulations to set up a "National Forest  Program" (NFP) were taken    by the Forest Act in 1990. Consequently, a comprehensive scientific study  and analysis of the    forest and forest policy were carried out. A first Action Plan Forestry was  drawn up in 1994, but it    never got a legal character.    The Flemish Environmental Policy Plan of 1977 insisted to set up an Action  Plan Forestry. In    1998 the Flemish Forest Service launched two documents: the "Long Term  Plan Forestry" and    the "Action Plan Forestry". Together they were considered as the  Flemish National Forest    Program, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Panel  on Forestry.    However, although approved by several advice committees, these documents  have never been    legally approved.    The Long Term Plan Forestry is based on four touchstones: sustainability,  multiple use,    international developments and commitments, and social support. In this  frame four key notions    are distinguished: forest maintenance quantitatively, forest maintenance  qualitatively, forest    extension, and integrated task fulfillment. To concretize this plan an  Action Plan Forestry with 29    actions and 19 regulating initiatives was launched.    The objectives of both action plans were only partly implemented. The too  ambitious program    was probably the most important reason.    The great challenge in Flanders is to legally approve an NFP. It is clear  that such a program can    only be approved when its ambitions are not too high, so that the interest  of other sectors are not    directly threatened. The value of such a minimal NFP is, however, very  limited. Therefore it is    probably better to draw up regularly an ambitious, actualized and well  founded forestry    document, which is not legally approved, but with a high moral value.