Romania, nine infringements on waste. “We risk running out of funding,” Environment Ministry warns

The European Commission (EC) imposed Romania nine infringements on the waste area and if it does not solve them, the country could remain without funding on some ongoing projects, Gratiela Gavrilescu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment said on Wednesday, during a specialized forum, capital.ro informs.

According to him, in the next period, the territorial administrative units along with sanitation companies, firms producing packaging and NGOs, will gather at the discussions table and will negotiate a relevant action plan, so that in 2050 Romania to reach to have zero waste, as required by the Brussels authorities.

“We have to recover all the things that haven’t been done and to put order in the country, including in the environment field,” Gavrilescu said.

She also said that it is very important the green areas to become a priority for the authorities and the infringement issues not to exist anymore. Gavrilescu also pointes out that a differentiated fee, as well as financial incentives are needed for the Romanians who collect waste selectively.

EC decided on February 15 to bring Romania before the Court of Justice of the EU for failure of the authorities to close 68 non-compliant municipal waste landfills that pose a serious risk to human health and environment.

The European Parliament has recently adopted draft legislation increasing the share of waste to be recycled, as global economy is becoming more and more polluting. The share of waste to be recycled is to rise from 44 percent today to 70 percent by 2030.