New report shows massive destruction of Romanian forests, EU
sets ultimatum
++ Report reveals massive logging of primary and old-growth forests ++ EU Commission calls on
Romania to better protect habitats and species – deadline set to expire today ++ Infringement
proceedings for illegal logging stuck ++
Joint press release between EIA, EuroNatur and Agent Green
03 December 2024
Bucharest, Washington DC, Radolfzell.
Between 2021 and 2024, over 4.7 million cubic meters of wood were extracted from nearly
140,000 hectares of primary and old-growth forests in Romania. Almost half of these areas are Natura
2000 sites. EuroNatur, Agent Green and the Environment Investigation Agency (EIA) detail these
shocking findings in their new report.
“The 4.7 million cubic metres of precious wood cut from the last
primary and old-growth forests is the equivalent of a line of trucks from Bucharest to Brussels, loaded
to the brim with logs,” says Agent Green’s president Gabriel Paun.
The most prominent logging practices found throughout the Romanian Carpathians, also in and around national and natural
parks, were large-scale ‘sanitary logging’ and rapid ‘progressive logging’, often resulting in vast barren
landscapes. This is a clear breach of EU legislation such as the Habitats Directive, and it contradicts the
EU Biodiversity Strategy, which requires strict protection of Europe’s remaining ancient forests. The
European Commission has recently sent a reasoned opinion to Romania for failing to fully implement
the Habitats Directive and has required the authorities to take the necessary measures by today.
„As far back as 2020, the EU Commission stated in three separate infringement procedures that
Romanian forestry practices were in breach of the Habitats Directive (under which the Natura 2000
forest areas are protected) and demanded immediate corrections from the Romanian government.
But our new report shows that the relentless destruction has continued ever since. Frankly, it’s hard
to understand how the European Commission can tolerate this ongoing violation of the law, which
contradicts its stated objectives of strict protection of primary and old-growth forests,” says Siegmund
Missall, EuroNatur’s Forest Programme Manager.
In February 2020, the European Commission opened its first infringement procedure against the
Romanian government in response to a complaint filed by EuroNatur, Agent Green and Client Earth
about illegal logging of primary and old-growth forests in Natura 2000 sites. Despite overwhelming
evidence presented in several meetings with former EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus
Sinkevičius and his staff over the past years, he didn’t refer the case to the European Court of Justice
until his end of term, and the destruction has continued unabated.
With the new European Commission in place, we are calling on EU Environment Commissioner Jessika
Roswall to take decisive action against logging in Romania’s primary and old-growth forests before it
is too late.
Background information:
• Romania has over 500,000 hectares of potential primary and old-growth forests, more than
any other EU Member State except Scandinavia. About 300,000 hectares of these forests are
protected under European laws as Natura 2000 sites. These forests are crucial for many protected species, including bears, wolves, black storks, owls, woodpeckers, bats, and beetles,
as well as for humans, serving as the „lungs of Europe.”
• In April 2024, the NGOs EuroNatur and Agent Green, together with over 106,000 concerned
EU citizens, called on former EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius to „Stop the
illegal logging of Romania’s ancient forests. Save our natural heritage” with a protest action in
front of the Berlaymont building in Brussels.
• The NGOs EuroNatur and Agent Green are advocating for the strict protection of primary and
old-growth forests in the Romanian Carpathians. They have collaborated with the EIA for their
latest report on logging in Romania’s forests, which has been handed in to the Commission.
