The road in Băneasa Forest opened to car traffic is illegal and must be dismantled

Bucharest, 12 February 2026 – Agent Green welcomes the publication of the report by the Inspection Body of the Ministry of the Environment, Waters and Forests on the illegal road in Băneasa Forest used to access the Greenfield residential development.

The official conclusions fully confirm the issues raised by Agent Green in its criminal complaint to the authorities and in the series of necessary legal actions initiated with Eco Civica at Bucharest Tribunal.

“Băneasa Forest and the residents of Greenfield have done nothing wrong. Romsilva and the property developer, however, have committed blatant abuses against millions of Bucharest residents who enjoyed this remnant of forest, now carved up and crossed by cars. The development should not have been approved before viable traffic solutions were found. A crime was committed that opened Pandora’s box nationwide. We must correct this abuse so that others across the country can learn from the Băneasa case,” said Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green.

The most important points from the NGOs’ legal action and criminal complaint that also appear in the ministry’s report are:

• Falsification of the 2020–2029 forest management plan by entering an additional section of approximately 0.72 km without legal documentation for changing the land-use category;
• Absence of the technical design and mandatory approvals required by current legislation;
• Execution and reimbursement of works, including on the section built without a legal basis;
• Absence of approval for the design brief for the “Rehabilitation of forest road FE002” project;
• Existence of damage;
• Use of the road by motor vehicles, although forest roads are technological transport routes for private use, closed to public traffic except in cases strictly provided for by law;
• A proposal to correct the management plan, restore the land to its original condition, recover the damage and refer the matter to prosecutors to annul the toll agreement.

For Agent Green, what matters is protecting Băneasa Forest and the wellbeing of the millions of people benefiting from its essential ecosystem functions: clean air, climate protection, biodiversity, natural character and recreational space.

We cannot accept under any circumstances the conversion of the national forest estate into transit infrastructure for private residential interests.

Romsilva, involved in the game but caught offside

Romsilva, which in this case too abandoned its mission by prioritizing the property developer’s prosperity over the forest, chose today to respond to the ministry’s report without acknowledging its errors, instead defending itself through shameful disinformation. It exonerates itself by invoking unverifiable legislation from the communist regime. Evidently, in its view, it did not falsify anything: it corrected a mistake. It tries to shift blame towards other technical bodies involved in drawing up the forest management plan. It denies the facts and satellite evidence.

In Agent Green’s view, this habitual behavior by Romsilva is an attempt to divert discussion from the real issue: the legality of the interventions and responsibility for administering the forest estate.

Dan-Cătălin Turiga, forestry engineer: “Romsilva knows no limits in pursuing its interests. Around Bucharest it has become extremely powerful and pervasive, particularly through its overlap with property businesses. What is happening in Băneasa Forest is, in my view, a grave abdication by foresters of their legal mission to protect the forest.”

Agent Green will continue legal action alongside colleagues from EcoCivica to:

• Stop illegal road traffic;
• Annul the toll agreement;
• Dismantle the section built without a legal basis;
• Establish administrative, financial and criminal responsibility.

Press contact:

Dan Cătălin Turiga, dan-catalin.turiga@agentgreen.org, +40 728 273 782