Agent Green publishes its detailed analysis of the new Forest Code, adopted by Romania’s Parliament and published in Official Gazette No. 7 of 9 January 2025. The document, prepared by specialists led by forestry engineer Cătălin Turiga, identifies major structural shortcomings in the new legislative framework.
Main problems identified
The analysis highlights the absence of serious reforms in Romania’s forestry system: regulation, administration and commercial activities remain under the same umbrella, perpetuating conflicts of interest. The national afforestation programme has been drastically reduced — from 2 million ha by 2035 to just 60,000 ha by 2030.
Other critical problems include regulations allowing clear-cutting disguised as ecological reconstruction, construction in forest parks and forest roads without environmental assessments. Oversight remains dependent on the forestry marking hammer, a rudimentary tool implicated in numerous cases of forgery.
The national forest estate faces growing pressure, with over 500,000 ha of forest exposed to uncontrolled clearing because of permissive regulations.
Positive aspects
The analysis acknowledges some useful measures: modern monitoring technologies, limits on clear-cutting in protected areas and an expanded definition of conflicts of interest for forestry personnel.
Download the full analysis (PDF, in Romanian)
