Value of fines issued by Environment Guard up by nearly 44 pct, in first 8 months

The control teams of the National Environment Guard (GNM) have issued, in the first eight months of the year, fines worth 73.89 million RON, a 43.6 pct increase over the same interval of 2020, the periodic report published by the institution shows.

According to centralized data, in the January 1 - August 31, 2021 period, the number of controls done at the national level, in the realm of pollution, biodiversity, biosecurity and protected areas, was 24,112, by 10.78 pct higher than in the first eight months of the previous year, when 21,765 controls were recorded.

The GNM report shows that by the end of August, 1,227 fines were issued (compared to 1,257, in the first eight months of 2020), 263 dispositions regarding the suspension of activity (compared to 189, in the same period of last year) and five decisions to cease activity (compared to none in 2020).

According to the quoted source, since the beginning of this year and up to August 31, 36 proposals for suspension of environment agreements/authorizations were sent, as well as 96 criminal complaints. Furthermore, 111 vehicles were confiscated.

Of the total number of controls this year, a number of 20,337 were recorded in the domain of pollution control, and 3,775 in the domain of biodiversity, biosecurity and protected areas.

In August 2021, at the national level, 2,911 inspections were conducted, of which 2,333 in the realm of pollution. During these inspections 475 fines were issued, worth 9,158 million RON.

In the same interval 177 warnings were issued, 40 dispositions to suspend activity, 14 criminal complaints, as well as six proposals to suspend environment agreements/authorizations. Furthermore, seven vehicles were confiscated.

The National Environment Guard is a public entity that functions as a specialty institution of the central public administration, with legal personality, funded completely from the state budget, in the subordination of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests.

The institution has duties in preventing, noting and sanctioning infringements of legal provisions regarding environment protection, including infringements of regulations provided for in laws specific to the domain of industrial pollution control and to the management of risk, dangerous substances and compounds, biodiversity and natural protected areas, the environment fund and other domains provided for by the specific legislation in force. AGERPRES