The Green Romania Act: a ban on deforestation until 2050, penalties for setting fire to the forest and a prohibition on importing waste.

The explanatory memorandum: Explanatory memorandum — The Sovereignty Act

Full translation of the draft. The Romanian text remains the authoritative one.

THE GREEN ROMANIA ACT

Draft law amending and supplementing Act 57/2020 on the sustainable management of Romania’s forests, Act 46 of 19 March 2008 on the Forestry Code and Act no. 211 of 15 November 2011 on the waste regime

I. Act 57/2020 on the sustainable management of Romania’s forests, published in the Official Gazette no. 402 of 15 May 2020, is amended as follows:

(1) Article 1 is amended and shall read as follows: “The export, within or outside the Community area, of unprocessed timber, including logs, with or without bark, round wood, sawn timber, beams or railway sleepers, is prohibited until 1 January 2050.” (2) Article 4 is amended and shall read as follows: “Failure to observe the export ban on timber provided for in art. 1 shall be punished by imprisonment from 7 to 20 years and the prohibition of certain rights.” → the reasons

II. Act 46 of 19 March 2008 on the Forestry Code, published in the Official Gazette no. 611 of 12 August 2015, as subsequently amended and supplemented, is amended and supplemented as follows:

(1) In article 29, paragraph (1) is amended and shall read as follows: “Deforestation and clear-felling on the territory of Romania, including that justified by ecological reconstruction, the regeneration and tending of forests, are prohibited until 1 January 2050.” (2) In article 29, paragraphs (2), (3), (4) and (5) are repealed. (3) After article 109, three new articles are inserted, art. 109¹, 109² and 109³, reading as follows: “109¹ Causing disease in, or infesting with pests, the trees of the forest stock shall be punished by imprisonment from 7 to 20 years.”; “109² Breach of the prohibition laid down in art. 29 of this law shall be punished by imprisonment from 7 to 20 years.”; “109³ Intentionally setting fire to the trees of the forest stock shall be punished by imprisonment from 7 to 20 years.”. → the reasons

III. Act no. 211 of 15 November 2011 on the waste regime, republished, published in the Official Gazette no. 220 of 28 March 2014, is amended and supplemented as follows:

(1) In article 13, after paragraph (1), a new paragraph (2) is inserted, reading as follows: “The introduction into the country of waste of any kind is prohibited.” → the reasons