Romania country briefing - The European environment — state and outlook 2015

Main themes and sectors addressed in the national State of Environment report

The 2012 State of the Environment Report showed that, as in previous years, most of Romania's land cover was comprised of agricultural land (61.39%) followed by forests and other forest lands (28.35%).

Soil quality is coming under pressure from fertilisers, pesticides, and industrial activities (mining, steel, energy, etc.).

Compared to other Member States of the European Union, Romania is not even close to the position of being "saturated" with phytosanitary products (such as pesticides and fertilizers). The average consumption per arable hectare dropped between 1999 and 2012 from 1.18 kg of active substance/ha to 0.70 kg of active substance/ha. The general trend in land cover is towards a reduction in cover by agricultural land in favour of other types of land cover. Since 1990, Romania's agricultural land decreased by 133 500 ha, representing about 1% of total agricultural land.

Forests: Forests cover about 27.4% of the country's surface, or about 6.5 million hectares. In addition to providing timber, forests also provide game and fish, forest fruit, edible mushrooms, wicker products, seeds, saplings, resin, honey, and medicinal and aromatic plants.

Biodiversity: Romania's biodiversity is one of the most remarkable in Europe. Romania has ratified the Convention for Biological Diversity. The Danube delta is of particular importance for biodiversity, hosting over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes. If not properly managed, this biodiversity could be affected by intensive fish farming, hunting, canal and dyke construction, and pollution^[4].

Since 1993, the Danube delta has become a Biosphere Reservation. Romania has 978 areas of national interest and 531 Natura 2000 sites. Up to 25% of animal species are still threatened, and even non-threatened species continue to suffer from a lack of appropriate habitats outside of protected areas.

Marine and Coastal Environment - Black Sea: The Romanian coastal area along the Black Sea has a length of 244 km, representing 7.65% of the national border. In 2012, the main anthropogenic pressures identified along the Romanian coast came from:

• tourism and recreation;
• the construction of holiday homes in tourist areas;
• expansion and modernisation of existing tourist ports;
• harbours and navigation;
• fisheries;
• agriculture; and
• the petrochemical industry.

As a result of these pressures, Romania's coast now faces significant problems including habitat destruction, coastal erosion, water pollution, depletion of natural resources and large-scale exploitation of natural resources.

Waste Management: Romania's National Waste Management Strategy aims to assist in the transition from the current model of development based on production and consumption to a model based on waste prevention and use of industrial recovered materials. This will ensure the preservation of natural resources and help to reconcile economic and environmental goals. In spite of this strategy, Romania is still facing some problems such as municipal waste management. In 2011, about 93% of the municipal waste collected by sanitation companies was disposed of in landfills. Recycling and recovery rates of this type of waste are still very low.

In the area of air quality Romania plans to continue implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of its air-quality management plans.

In water management, Romania aims to achieve sustainable management of water by closely following the requirements of EU water-related directives. The country's flood management activities involve a mixture of short-, medium- and long-term policies to protect life, assets and the environment.

Romania has an integrated water strategy for the period 2010–2035, which covers various policy areas affecting water resources, such as urban development, environmental protection, agricultural and forest development, transport infrastructure, tourism and construction.

Romania's National Biodiversity Strategy requires environmental impact assessments to be made before any development plan is approved in protected natural areas of community interest. It also establishes indicators to assess the health of species and habitats in protected areas.

In waste management, Romania has adopted the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) and the National Waste Management Plan (NWMP). The NWMS sets objectives for waste management. It was revised in line with new European guidelines and was subjected to an environmental assessment. The NWMP contains details about actions to be taken to achieve the goals of the strategy. The NWMP will be revised according to the new requirements of Romania's Law 211/2011 on waste that transposed Directive 2008/98/EC.

Country specific issues

Health and quality of life: According to the 2007-2013 National Development Plan issued by the government, the main goals of environmental policy in Romania are to ensure a clean environment for the health of Romanians, and to break the vicious circle of poverty and environmental degradation.

Biodiversity: Romania is implementing a long-term strategy for biodiversity protection by developing plans and projects meant to protect unique and extended types of natural habitats. Some of these habitats are possibly without equivalent in the European Union. For example, the Carpathian mountain range is a vital habitat for big carnivores. In 2012, the population of these carnivores was estimated at between 5 786 and 6 546 brown bears; between 2 501 and 2 932 wolves; between 1 200 and 1 435 Eurasian wildcats; and between 10 500 and 13 000 non-Eurasian wildcats. This population of carnivores represents a large number of the total population of these species in Europe.