Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires bold steps and determinate actions, with one of the most important objectives being to ensure that this transition leads to economic growth, argued the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, Mircea Fechet, who participated in the Environment Council in Luxembourg.

„Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires bold steps and determinate actions. One of the most important objectives is to ensure that this transition leads to economic growth. At the same time, guaranteeing a just transition for all citizens, especially the vulnerable ones, it must remain a central element of the future framework,” said Fechet, quoted in a press release of the relevant ministry.

On the topic of the proposal for a Directive on soil resilience and monitoring, the Romanian official emphasised the importance of this document, in the context where desertification negatively influences ecosystems, the productivity of agricultural lands and the standard of living of people, endangering, at the same time, food security, the economy and the environment.

„Romania appreciates the way in which the assessment of soil health is pursued, by establishing target values of soil parameters and values for triggering the necessary actions, depending on the local environmental conditions and land use. In the case of sites contaminated, the purpose of the remedial measures is to eliminate the risks for human health and the environment, regardless of the date on which the contamination occurred. Thus, we appreciate the opportunity offered to the member states to decide how to approach historically or recently contaminated sites,” stated the dignitary.

Also, related to the topic of the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, Mircea Fechet pointed out that the revision of this normative act focuses on two intensive sectors from the perspective of resource use: textiles and food products.

„Regarding food waste, the proposed targets are ambitious and essential for promoting sustainability, addressing pressing problems caused by the generation of this waste, as well as for contributing to the objectives of sustainable development. Regarding textile waste: as we mentioned at the Council last month March 2024, Romania faces the problem of shipments of used textiles, which, in fact, are waste. Adopting as soon as possible a regulation on the criteria for ending the status of waste will support the development of an official market for second-hand textiles, encouraging businesses and consumers to participate in such a market. This can stimulate local economies and support sustainable consumption practices. Romania welcomes the initiative to establish extended producer responsibility (EPR), which will encourage the design of products that are easier to reuse, recycle and eliminate in an ecological way,” added Fechet.

Regarding the Directive on the justification and communication of explicit claims related to the environment, Minister Mircea Fechet conveyed that it is important that environmental claims are clear and justified, to respect the consumer and fair competition conditions.

The Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet, and the Secretary of State Ionut-Sorin Banciu led, on Monday, the Romanian delegation to the Environment Council in Luxembourg, a meeting organized by the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council.

On the agenda of the meeting there were several legislative deliberations for the Directive on soil monitoring, the Directive amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste and the Directive on substantiation and communication of explicit statements related to the environment. The Environment Council adopted the Regulation for the Restoration of Nature.

AGERPRES