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.
Some dinners are eaten. Others are remembered. At Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard, the past few months have unfolded like a quiet culinary opera. One by one, Europe’s most celebrated chefs arrived, took over the kitchen of Boulevard 73 and left behind more than menus; they left stories. Now, on December 4, the curtain falls. […]
HORIZON CITY, a €130 million residential project, is emerging as one of the most solid and forward-thinking developments in the Pipera area—both through its scale and through the modern direction it sets for the new residential standards in the north. Developed across nearly 23,000 sqm, with 699 apartments and 926 parking spaces, the project brings […]
Romania’s National Forest Administration, or Romsilva, announced that it is putting over 16,000 Christmas trees up for sale over the winter in a press release published on Thursday, November 27. The trees can be purchased directly from the offices of the forestry districts. Prices range between RON 17 (EUR 3.3) for a spruce...
Lot 3 Pietroasele–Buzău of Romania's A7 highway, also known as the Moldova highway, was inaugurated on Thursday, November 27. The newly inaugurated segment is 13.9 km long. The A7 connects Romania’s historic regions of Muntenia, the southern part of the country, with Moldova, the eastern part. “We are opening another 13 km of the Moldova Motorway […]
The City Hall of Sinaia, a popular mountain town roughly 120 km north of Bucharest, announced that a new attraction, the alpine coaster on Pârtia Nouă, will officially open on December 1. The installation, located in the ski area near the Sinaia Gondola, features what the authorities say is the longest track of its kind […]
The Romanian national team debuted with a victory in Group A of the Women’s Handball World Championship, organized in the Netherlands and Germany. Romania won 33–24 (13–12) against Croatia in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on Thursday, November 27. The Romanian team dominated the match in the second half, left backer Sorina-Maria Grozav scoring 7 […]
