Stop the destruction of Romania’s forests!
106,000 Europeans call on the European Commission to have Romania condemned by the European Court of Justice
EuroNatur and Agent Green press release
11 April 2024
Brussels – Backed by over 106,000 signatures from concerned Europeans, EuroNatur and Agent Green are protesting today at the office of European Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius to stop illegal logging and the destruction of Romania’s primary forests, following infringement proceedings that have lasted more than four years.
“Even though this is the final month of Commissioner Sinkevičius’s term, I believe he can still leave in glory if he does what is right for Romania’s forests and future generations: refer the Romanian government to the European Court of Justice,” said Raluca Nicolae, Agent Green’s representative in Brussels.
In February 2020, the European Commission opened a series of infringement proceedings against the Romanian government after Agent Green, Client Earth and EuroNatur filed formal complaints about illegal logging and the deliberate destruction of primary forests in Natura 2000 protected areas. Evidence obtained by the organizations during the Commission’s proceedings indicates the unabated destruction of forests, as presented in the latest report (PDF in English) by Agent Green and EuroNatur.
Despite overwhelming evidence presented in direct meetings with Virginijus Sinkevičius and his team over the past 4 years, he has still not referred the case to the ECJ.
“Four years is a long time for discussions without results. The problem is systemic. The government is part of the problem, so nothing can be resolved at national level,” said Susanne Schmitt, Project Manager at the EuroNatur Foundation.
Romania still has 500,000 hectares of primary and old-growth forests, more than any other EU Member State. With the European elections approaching, the NGOs call on Commissioner Sinkevičius either to refer the Romanian government to the ECJ or to instruct the next leadership to urgently finish what he began, by taking decisive measures to stop illegal logging and the destruction of primary forests.
Large-scale logging in the Munții Făgăraș Natura 2000 site © Agent Green
Intact primary forests in the Munții Făgăraș Natura 2000 site © Susanne Schmitt / EuroNatur
Press contacts:
Anika Konsek, EuroNatur: anika.konsek(at)euronatur.org, tel: (+49) 7732 9272 26
Raluca Nicolae, Agent Green: raluca.nicolae(at)agentgreen.org, tel: (+40) 721 51 11 25
