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Romania has a significant and diversified capacity to produce energy from renewable sources, and integrated land use planning allows the identification of areas with a low value of biodiversity for renewable energy projects, keeping, at the same time, habitats of great value, the Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forestry Mircea Fechet said at the informal Council of the Environment in Spain.
According to a press release from the competent ministry, Mircea Fechet is leading the Romanian delegation to the informal meeting of the ministers of the environment from the EU member states, which is taking place between July 10 and 11, 2023, in Valladolid, Spain. Secretary of State Ionut-Sorin Banciu is also part of the Romanian delegation.
Organized under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council, the event brings together the ministers of the environment from the EU states, representatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament, and on the second day (11 July) the ministers of energy will also participate.
The topics addressed during the meeting concerned the integrated management of soil, water, forests and biodiversity and the necessary balance that must be kept between the implementation of projects for the production of energy from renewable sources, the development of the territory, the protection and conservation of biodiversity.
Also, a working lunch dedicated to measures to reduce marine pollution was organized.
"Romania supports the integrated management of environmental factors and cooperation to reduce pollution threats to the health of people, animals, ecosystems and the planet. At the same time, we appreciate the EU Action Plan 'Towards zero pollution for air, water and soil', as well as all other strategies and directives promoted as concrete products of the European Green Deal. We also welcome the adoption by the EU Council of the Regulation on the restoration of nature, which provides the premises for the inclusion of biodiversity in other sectoral policies. We believe that only an integrated approach to these documents can optimize and lead to successful results", Minister Mircea Fechet told the debates on integrated soil management.
During the working lunch dedicated to measures to reduce marine pollution, the Romanian dignitary pointed out that Romania shows a special interest in the sustainable management of its coastal and marine waters in order to achieve and maintain the good ecological status of the Black Sea.
"In this regard, Romania supports the implementation of the European Plastics Strategy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to reduce marine waste, including plastic and microplastic, in the seas and oceans. The effects of marine pollution have led to the loss of marine diversity, to changes in the composition and habitats of biodiversity, to the decrease of marine productivity", he said.
In his intervention on the theme of renewable energy, the Romanian minister emphasized that, in order to optimize the integration of energy objectives with those of sectoral and environmental policies, plans at the local level could offer the best results.
"Integrated land use planning is becoming an essential tool because it allows us to identify areas with a low biodiversity value for renewable energy projects, while preserving, at the same time, high value habitats," he said.
The meeting on July 11 will include two joint working sessions with the energy ministers of the Member States regarding the expectations related to the outcome of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28 UNFCCC), which will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, between November 30 and December 12, 2023 and the contribution of the energy sector to this conference. Also, the day's agenda includes a joint working breakfast, in which aspects related to more effective communication of opportunities regarding the climate and energy agenda will be addressed.
