The Ministry of European Funds together with the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests organized a unique conference on May 29, 2015, one of the most important events organized by the authorities on waste management in the last 5 years.
The Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests - Gratiela Gavrilescu - opened the conference with a firm and critical tone towards the current situation in this field. The same tone was maintained by the present Secretaries of State, Mihail Faca from the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and Valentin Olimpiu Soneriu from the Ministry of European Funds, bringing into discussion the crisis situation in this field, that of waste management.
Members of the European Commission were present at the presidency and spoke: George Kremlis (Head of the European Enforcement, Cohesion and Semester Unit, DG Environment), Madalina Caprusu (desk officer, Waste Management and Recycling Unit, DG Environment), Nina Miron ( Case handler officer, European Application, Cohesion and Semester Unit, DG Environment), Benoit Nadler (Desk officer, Romania Unit, DG Regional and Urban Policy), Andrei Daniela Valeria (Desk officer, Waste Management and Recycling Unit, DG Environment) .
The following topics were discussed:
- the serious situation in which Romania is - 3% degree of municipal waste recycling.
- illegal landfills and very poor implementation of separate collection on 4 streams (paper, glass, plastic, compost),
- future co-incinerators that should only be made for non-recyclable waste,
- Romania's challenges in reaching the 50% recycling target in 2020,
- about open infringement proceedings
- about the bad results in the absorption of SOP Environment funds - 42% with only 1 project completed in Bistrita,
- the fragile institutional framework in Romania and ineffective authorities,
- insufficient political commitment in this area.
Invited to the conference were members of local authorities (mayors, ADIs, county councils, environmental agencies) and organizations taking over responsibilities including ECOTIC, represented by Valentin Negoita - President - along with Dragos Calugaru - General Manager. President Valentin Negoita spoke highlighting the lack of cooperation of local authorities in good WEEE management.
Members of the European Commission have called for drastic measures to reduce the gap between the situation in Romania and the European average in terms of waste management:
- Measures meant to attract the funds available from the EU in this field, support measures of the ADIs (Intra-Community Development Agencies)
- Strengthening the waste directorate of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests
- Commitment and "ownership" by local authorities