Oxford, Cambridge and 122 other entities worldwide call on Ameco to drop its abusive lawsuit against Romanian NGO Agent Green

Bucharest, 19 June 2024

Representatives of Oxford and Cambridge universities and another 122 NGOs, scientific bodies, independent scientists, researchers, professors from renowned universities, botanists, environmental defenders and consultants from every continent have mobilised over the past 48 hours and signed this open letter to urge Swiss pellet producer Ameco, which operates using timber from Romania, to drop its abusive lawsuit against the NGO Agent Green.

This morning, Agent Green sent written notice to Ameco’s management asking them to withdraw the absurd allegations and legal proceedings brought against the organisation, with the next hearing on 20 June at the Bucharest Tribunal. The Romanian NGO is not alone in this unfair fight: it has the support of 124 entities worldwide that have signed the open letter.

In November 2023, Ameco Renewable Energy SRL, a biomass company founded in Romania in 2006 with majority Swiss capital, sued Agent Green. The company claims substantial financial losses following the New York Times article “Europe is Sacrificing its Ancient Forests for Energy”. The Romanian branch of the biomass company, based in Harghita County, blames Agent Green for the New York Times article and demands enormous financial compensation: several million euros for the economic losses recorded and an additional 200,000 euros for the moral damages caused by the article. It also insinuates that Agent Green is responsible for deleting the article from the internet, along with all other articles that reproduced the original information, and that the New York Times should apologise for 3 consecutive days. Following publication, Ameco claims some of its customers cancelled their contracts.

“Civil society’s ability to operate freely, without censorship, is essential for a functioning democracy, said Alexander von Bismarck, Executive Director of Environmental Investigation Agency US. Ameco’s SLAPP is not just an attack on Agent Green; it is an attempt to silence the Romanian public and prevent it from determining how its country’s forests should be governed.”

“Not only is pressure on our natural resources increasing, but so is pressure on those fighting to protect them. The fact that more than 124 well-known organisations and scientists from around the world have signed the open letter to Ameco demonstrates their great solidarity and willingness to confront SLAPP action such as that brought by Ameco,” emphasised Gabriel Schwaderer, Executive Director of Euronatur.

“We are grateful for the solidarity shown nationally and internationally by several prestigious scientific entities from around the world, all united in one voice for Romania’s forests. This impressive number of signatures should mean something to Ameco, which threatens not only forests unique in Europe, but also the existence of Agent Green, an NGO that is first and foremost a legitimate voice for wounded nature and millions of Romanians,” said Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green.

Agent Green and the signatory NGOs consider that Ameco has brought civil allegations against its critics by opening a classic SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation). They consider it an abusive lawsuit intended to silence, shut down, intimidate and discourage public participation.

The signatories to this letter therefore urge Ameco to drop this abusive SLAPP against Agent Green and withdraw all the absurd allegations.

The open letter can be read here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z2G8jieCJSDmFvS9OPlS8F2ebLJESfmb/view

Press contacts:
Gabriel Păun, Agent Green, office@agentgreen.org,
Cătălina Rădulescu, lawyer, info@agentgreen.org, telephone: (+40) 740 161 116