The European Commission decided on Thursday to send Romania an additional official letter of delay because it did not correctly implement the Directive establishing a framework for Community water policy (Directive 2000/60/EC) and the Council Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and species of wild fauna and flora (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) on the authorization and construction of small hydropower plants, reads a press release from the European Commission.Both directives focus on ensuring the quality and quantity of water bodies, preventing and combating pollution and protecting fauna and flora.In 2015, the European Commission sent Romania an official letter of delay regarding the authorization and construction of small hydropower projects in alpine watercourses, affecting three Natura 2000 sites and the water bodies involved. Following several meetings with the Commission, the Romanian authorities assumed several commitments, such as: monitoring the projects that are subject to the infringement procedure, reassessing the damage following the authorization and construction of small hydropower projects, adopting a legal framework regarding the ecological flow and areas prohibited, the modification of authorizations, the transposition of the revised Directive on environmental impact assessment, with a coordinated project evaluation procedure based on the Water Framework Directive, and the adoption of a strategic planning (Energy Strategy).The Romanian authorities partially fulfilled their commitments, but failed to modify the authorizations and implement the measures identified to solve the deterioration of one of the previously identified water bodies. Meanwhile, the third management plan of the hydrographic basin, recently adopted, shows the deterioration of the water body in question (Arges spring, Vidraru accumulation and tributaries). In addition, the evidence available from the studies and monitoring carried out confirms that some micro-hydropower plants have been authorized without the appropriate assessment required by the Habitats Directive. Taking into account the deterioration, it is necessary to remedy the situation as soon as possible, the European Commission considers.
Radu Miruță, currently Romania’s economy minister, was proposed to lead the Defense Ministry. He will also hold the position of deputy prime minister. In his place, senator Irineu Darău has been proposed to take the helm of the Economy Ministry. The Defense and Economy Ministries are handled by the center-right reformist party Save Romania Union […]
Carrefour Romania has expanded its proximity retail network, reaching 200 Express stores and 191 Market locations nationwide, as part of its strategy to strengthen convenience formats. The retailer announced that the 200th Carrefour Express store will open on December 22. In 2025 alone, Carrefour opened 27 Express stores, including 19 company-operated units and eight franchise […]
Bucharest Tribunal rejected on Wednesday, December 17, an appeal filed by former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu against a lower court decision to keep him under judicial control in a case in which he is accused of promoting legionary ideology. The ruling is final,
European chief prosecutor Laura Codruța Kovesi, the former head of Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), said she was “shocked” by the revelations made by magistrates in the Recorder documentary ‘Captured Justice,' released on December 9. The media investigation, which fueled major street protests in Romania, details how...
Romania is among 19 European Union member states asking the European Commission to allocate funding for the creation of migrant return centres to be located outside the EU, amid a broader tightening of the bloc’s migration policy, Agerpres reported. The request follows decisions taken by...
The minister of economy, Radu Miruţă, announced that the Agency for Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Enterprises' Performance (AMEPIP) fined him, as a natural person, for "wanting a clean and fair management at a state-owned company" - Avioane Craiova. The fine is apparently linked to comments made by minister Miruţă about the management teams appointed […]
