The Urban Nature Network calls on the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) members of the Chamber of Deputies to reject the amendments they have initiated to the Law on the regulation and administration of urban green areas and which are to be voted on Wednesday in plenary sitting, write Agerpres.

The coalition of 16 civic organisations says that these amendments „voted without real debate, at the last minute”, before the closing of the parliamentary session, give the possibility to build on private and retroceded green areas.

„This will encourage real estate chaos and deregulation of urban planning in Romania, lead to fragmentation of existing parks and reduce green space in cities. We believe that the adoption of these amendments would be a direct attack on the health of the 12,520,000 inhabitants living in cities, which is about 60 percent of the country’s population,” writes the Urban Nature Network on Facebook.

According to the same source, the coalition has assumed as a government objective to increase the green areas within cities and municipalities, by restoring or building parks. In this respect, objective 10 is indicated on page 9 of the government programme.

„We call on the governing coalition to respect this objective,” say the NGO representatives.

The Urban Nature Network includes the Vacaresti Natural Park Association, the Funky Citizens Association, the „Sustainable Organized Society” Association – Cluj-Napoca, as well as other NGOs from Satu Mare, Brasov, Piatra Neamt, Bistrita, Iasi, Timisoara, Oradea or Arad. In the vision of the Urban Nature Network, nature must become a major component of urban infrastructure, with an essential role in optimizing the quality of life.

The Environment Committee of the Chamber of Deputies adopted on Tuesday several amendments to the draft law on the amendment of Law 24/2007 on the regulation and administration of green areas within the urban areas of municipalities. These amendments were contested by the Mayor of the Capital, Nicusor Dan, who maintained that the proposed changes destroy the protection regime of green areas.

„The protection regime established by the environmental law for green areas disappears. There it is clearly stated that land that is considered green area in the urban planning documentation remains green area. No decision of the local authority, be it the mayor or the Council, can change this destination and now, through an amendment that we saw for the first time and that was tabled an hour ago, this ban disappears. That is, it says that you can get land as green area and move it to the outskirts of the city, by decision of the local authority. This is the most serious thing,” general mayor Nicusor Dan explained.

Save Romania Union (USR) spokesperson Ionut Mosteanu criticised the „toxic” amendments that „give free rein to building blocks of flats” on green areas.

Mosteanu also maintained that the amendments adopted Tuesday by the Environment Committee „are destroying” the green areas.

„PSD and PNL allow construction on green areas in the city centre, with a promise that the city halls will create green areas elsewhere in 2 years. In 12 months, if the city halls do not conduct expropriations, any green area in private ownership loses its green area status. They have reduced the green area standard in construction from 30 percent to 20 percent. The ‘obligation’ to provide free access to green areas becomes an ‘option’,” he said.