Alina Oprea • 1 March, 2023 at 4:22 PM
The Romanian Government approved today, at the proposal of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, the Agreement for the implementation of the provisions of the Espoo Convention. The agreement between the Government of Romania and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context was signed by the Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests, Barna Tánczos, and by Ruslan Strilets, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, in November last year, in Bucharest.
According to the approved agreement, a joint Commission on environmental impact assessment in a cross-border context will be established, consisting of four members for each party. From the Romanian side, specialists in the field of environmental impact assessment, as well as cross-border aspects, will be appointed to this Commission.
The Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) was developed under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and adopted in Espoo, Finland, on February 25, 1991, entering into force on September 10, 1997. Romania ratified the Convention on March 29, 2001 (Law no. 22/2001).
"This agreement will form the basis of our cross-border collaboration in all projects, especially in sensitive areas that we manage together. At the same time, we will work to protect these particularly valuable areas and, at the same time, we will help the relevant ministries to make investments, to develop projects in these areas, in compliance with European and environmental protection principles. The support we offer each other in rebuilding habitats is essential to protect biodiversity", said the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, Barna Tánczos.
After entering into force, the Agreement will ensure the fulfilment of the obligations of Romania and Ukraine under the Espoo Convention, the improvement of cooperation with Ukraine in the field of environmental protection, as well as the facilitation of the realization of the major projects necessary to ensure the energy resources in this part of the country in the next period Europe. In addition, the entry into force of the Agreement will represent a cooperation model that can be proposed to other neighbouring states, either by concluding similar bilateral agreements or by revising the Bucharest Agreement from 2008.
The final text of this agreement was agreed upon in September last year and is the result of sustained efforts by experts from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.