Open letter – Transparency concerning the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)

Dear Prime Minister Florin Cîţu,

Dear Minister Cristian Ghinea,

We are concerned about the failure to present an overall vision for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with a robust intervention logic based on clear objectives. This approach creates a lack of transparency on the part of the Romanian Government concerning the projects proposed for financing from the 29.2 billion euros to be allocated to Romania. It is also alarming that the plan provides no details about the projects eligible for Pillar 1 – Green Transition within the PNRR, or about the extent to which the plan as a whole is consistent with the objectives of the European Green Deal.

The objectives of the European Green Deal are clear and provide for reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and, in the case of the European Biodiversity Strategy, designating at least 30% of Europe’s area as protected areas by 2030.

In this context, of the 29.2 billion euros, 37% of the funds (approximately 10.8 billion euros) will have to be allocated, under the requirements of European regulations, to projects that do no significant harm to environmental objectives. Equally importantly, they must correspond to the European strategies set out in the European Green Deal on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to mainstreaming climate action and environmental sustainability.

Unfortunately, following the public consultations in February, none of the projects included in the PNRR’s “Green Transition” pillar has been presented in full so that its environmental effects are clear. We therefore call on the Romanian Government to publish the projects proposed for PNRR financing, accompanied by an explanation of how they avoid significant negative environmental impacts and, for projects under Pillar I – Green Transition, how they align with the European Green Deal. We are convinced that academic expertise can be of real help in achieving these aims, and we ask you to organise consultations with representatives of civil society, academia, and experts in energy and biodiversity protection and conservation. We want the projects that are approved to have a real and major impact in Romania, to be sustainable and beneficial for biodiversity conservation, addressing climate change issues and the transition to green energy.

In the context of the EU’s recovery and resilience programmes, EuroNatur and Bankwatch, together with national partners, with Agent Green representing Romania, have published a report on the biodiversity efforts of ten governments in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). The report in English is available here.

The report aims to provide an assessment of the proposed projects and measures for biodiversity protection and conservation as well.

The European Union has decided to invest around 670 billion EUROS in rebuilding the European economy following the Covid crisis.

The regulation for the Recovery Plan for Europe set the ambitious goal of using this enormous sum to lead the European Union into a green and digital future. National recovery and resilience plans (PNRR) must also integrate the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

Unfortunately, the conclusions of the assessment of these plans are particularly worrying. They show either that there are no budget allocations for projects concerning biodiversity conservation, protection and restoration, or that proposed projects retain measures with a negative environmental impact, often under the guise of climate protection.

Moreover, in most countries there is a lack of transparency both in drafting and in integrating the projects proposed following public consultations.

For Romania, although the latest PNRR version, published on 7 April, was amended by reducing the budget from 41.1 billion to 29.2 billion euros, and the European Commission rejected the irrigation projects, some road infrastructure works and the fund for local authorities, no detailed project to be financed from these funds has been presented to date.

We call on the Government to put this act of transparency concerning PNRR projects into practice as soon as possible. We remain open to dialogue on this subject and place all our expertise at your disposal.

Signatories:

Raluca Nicolae, Co-Founder, Asociația Agent Green

Dr. Theodor Cojoianu, Co-Founder, RoSIF & Member, EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, EU Commission

Ioana Ciută, President, Asociația Bankwatch România

Raul Cazan, President, Asociația 2 Celsius

Roxana Pencea Bradațan, Campaigns Coordinator, Asociația Declic

Elene Rastei, President, Zero Waste Romania

Anca Chirilă Gheorghică, Director, Asociația Mai Bine

Daniela Mitrofan, President, Organizația Reset

Constantin Turmac, President, Fundația Snagov

Anamaria Hâncu, President and Co-Founder, Let’s Do It, Romania!