Romania, the only EU state rejecting the European biodiversity strategy

Agent Green and Greenpeace call on the Chamber of Deputies to reject the resolution put to the vote today

Bucharest, 17 November 2020 – Agent Green and Greenpeace warn members of the Chamber of Deputies that the resolution on the European biodiversity strategy put to the vote today seriously jeopardises national security and biodiversity and exacerbates climate change. The aim of this resolution is to block the increase in strictly protected areas in Romania from the current 1% to 10% of the country’s area and the expansion of the European Natura 2000 network of protected natural areas from the current 23% to 30%. These objectives are to be achieved gradually by 2030. Similar percentages are also provided for marine areas.

“Deputies cannot adopt a resolution that endangers the future of nature and the life of every citizen, a life that depends on the health of the environment. The resolution put to the vote today is profoundly anti-European, deprives Romania of key funding, jeopardises economic recovery and is unprecedented in the European Union,” warns Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green.

The EU strategy, rejected by the Romanian Parliament’s resolution, also provides for restoring degraded terrestrial and marine ecosystems throughout Europe by increasing the share of organic farming and biodiversity-rich landscapes on agricultural land, halting and reversing pollinator decline, reducing pesticide use and its harmful effects by 50% by 2030, restoring the natural flow of at least 25 000 km of EU rivers and planting 3 billion trees by 2030.

Ciprian Gal, Greenpeace Romania: “We are concerned to learn that the Romanian Parliament does not understand what biodiversity does for us. We nevertheless hope that parliamentarians will have time to google ‘biodiversity’ before voting on one of the most shameful legislative initiatives in the history of environmental protection. In addition to a wealth of information presented even in terms children can understand, they will be able to find ‘UN’ reports discussing the importance of saving natural ecosystems.”

Furthermore, the EU strategy provides for allocating EUR 20 billion a year to biodiversity from various sources, including EU funds and national and private financing. Natural capital and biodiversity considerations will be integrated into business practices.

Taking the necessary measures for the EU to become a world leader in addressing the global biodiversity crisis. The Commission will mobilise all external action instruments and international partnerships to secure an ambitious new UN biodiversity framework at the 2021 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In May, when the European biodiversity strategy was published, the European Commission announced that “it is time to reconcile with nature. Restoring nature is central to the EU’s recovery plan following the coronavirus pandemic, offering immediate business and investment opportunities to revive the European economy. Climate change, biodiversity loss and the spread of devastating pandemics demonstrate why this is necessary.” Biodiversity is essential to life. Nature provides us with food, health and medicines, materials, recreation and well-being. A healthy ecosystem filters the air we breathe and the water we use, helps maintain climate balance, turns waste into resources, ensures crop pollination and fertilisation, and much more. Nature is also vital to businesses: half of global gross domestic product (GDP) (EUR 40 000 billion) depends on nature. Yet unsustainable human activities are causing us to lose biodiversity faster than ever.

The global population of wild species has fallen by 60% over the last 40 years. 1 million species are at risk of extinction. Biodiversity decline and the climate crisis are interdependent. Restoring forests, soils and wetlands and creating green spaces in cities are essential to mitigating the effects of climate change by 2030.

A key element of the European biodiversity strategy is expanding the Natura 2000 network to 30% of the area of each Member State, including Romania. The Natura 2000 network is estimated to support 104 000 direct jobs in protected-area management and conservation and a further 70 000 indirect jobs. All of these are based on annual investment of EUR 6 billion to manage and restore the network. In future, biodiversity needs are expected to generate up to 500 000 jobs. Restoring nature means direct and indirect jobs that breathe new life into local communities.

Economic benefits of implementing the biodiversity strategy

Between EUR 200 and 300 billion in the annual value of the Natura 2000 nature protection network.
Savings of approximately EUR 50 billion a year for the insurance sector by reducing flood losses through protection of coastal wetlands
Maintaining the value of six economic sectors that depend on nature for more than 50% of their value: chemicals and materials; aviation, travel and tourism; real estate; extractive industries and metal processing; supply chain and transport; retail, consumer goods and lifestyle

The economic and social costs of inaction include biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, two of the greatest threats humanity will face over the next decade. Between 1997-2011, the world is estimated to have lost EUR 3.5-18.5 trillion a year in ecosystem services and approximately EUR 5.5-10.5 trillion a year because of land degradation. Biodiversity underpins food security in the EU and worldwide. The risks of biodiversity loss endanger our food systems and nutrition.

See the Chamber of Deputies’ resolution here (PDF in Romanian, archived version):
https://www.cdep.ro/pls/proiecte/docs/2020/ph068_phcd68.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0y9aG5KbzmatZLrIUWW_NTczxZyXEQaZT4fFRaKj4TMtIPKMukvA62U7c

See the European Biodiversity Strategy here:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/actions-being-taken-eu/eu-biodiversity-strategy-2030_ro#documents

Romania, the only EU state rejecting the European biodiversity strategy