MEP: Romania has to take firm steps under new anti-deforestation regulations

MEP Corina Cretu believes that in Romania, where deforestation is worrying, effective measures are needed to stop the phenomenon as the MEPs adopted new regulations in Strasbourg on Wednesday to combat deforestation worldwide.

According to data with the Romanian Ministry of the Environment, Water and Forestry, the deforested area in Romania in 2021 was standing at approximately 12,000 hectares, and in the last 20 years 400,000 hectares of forest were cut, Cretu pointed out in a social media post after a vote in a plenary session of the European Parliament.

"I believe that it is necessary for the national authorities to stop the phenomenon of illegal logging and deforestation through effective measures such as: the introduction of advanced technological tools, including drones and satellite images; strengthening the control and surveillance capacity; promoting the sustainable management of forests and the sustainable use of wood resources. It is also necessary to amend and update the legislation on forest management to strengthen forest protection measures and increase penalties against those who violate the law. This regulation is an inevitable step if we want to be successful in the fight against climate change, and Romania has to take firm steps in this direction," wrote MEP Cretu of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament.

To fight climate change and biodiversity loss, the new law obliges companies to ensure products sold in the EU have not led to deforestation and forest degradation.

The text now also has to be formally endorsed by the European Council. It will then be published in the EU Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later.