#romania2019.eu/EnviMin Gavrilescu: Measures to reduce carbon emissions should be joint effort of all stakeholders

Measures to reduce carbon emissions should be jointly implemented by the central and local public authorities, NGOs and the business community, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment Gratiela Gavrilescu said on Monday. 

"In the first part of today's session, we will look at an extremely important theme: innovative solutions and the role of the citizens in reducing carbon emissions. I am convinced that all the ministers of the member states will properly approach this subject today and that the measures we need to find together will indeed be the ones that will really reduce the effects of greenhouse gases. At the same time, let us not forget that the implementation of these measures must be a concentrated effort of the central and local public authorities, NGOs and the business environment, for life to endure on Earth as long as possible," Gavrilescu said at the Palace of Parliament, ahead of the informal meeting of the Environment Ministers organized in Bucharest. 

The Romanian official also mentioned that biodiversity is another topic of interest that will be discussed at the meeting in Bucharest, against the background of the latest United Nations report according to which many species and habitats have disappeared. 

Romania hosts on Monday and Tuesday at the Palace of Parliament the informal meeting of EU Environment Ministers, in the context of its term at the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The event is co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment Gratiela Gavrilescu and Minister of Waters and Forests Ioan Denes. 

According to the Ministry of Environment, attending the event are the Ministers of Environment of EU member states, EFTA states and EU candidate states, the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Policy Miguel Arias Canete, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, representatives of the General Secretariat of the Council, the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency and the Secretary-General of the European Environmental Bureau. 

On May 21 the meeting will continue with the third working session on water resources management - controlling plastic / microplastic river and sea pollution.