Preliminary assessment of the third payment request of Romania (2024)

needing to amend the forest management plan. Moreover. Article 1(1)(a)(1) has been amended to include details of the forest management plans as responsibilities, streamlining of coordination, distribution by county of the forest area and projects, and works, and actions proposed under the forestry management plan. A forest management map shall show the current status and proposed activities, overlapping with protected species and habitats in Natura 2000 sites.

Article 1, point 4 allows various forestry activities to continue during the validity of the forest management plans, ensuring that land use remains consistent with approved plans. Regarding the methodology for the approval of annual windthrow harvesting quotas, Article 2(1)(b) modifies criteria for harvesting trees affected by biotic or abiotic factors, specifying the conditions under which these trees can be extracted and the methods for assessing the volume of affected trees.

Article 2(1)(b1) introduces a new subparagraph allowing for the authorization of harvesting trees affected by wind, snow, and fires after submitting the approved valuation to the competent territorial structure. New point (g) in Article 2(1) addresses forestry works from approved forest management plans that overlap with Natura 2000 sites and have not undergone environmental assessment.

Ministerial Order No. 1945/2021 was published in the Official Journal No. 1043 of 1 November 2021 and entered into force on the date of the publication in the Official Journal, according to the provisions of Article 12(3) of Law No. 24/2000 on legislative technique rules for drafting legal acts.

This order is aligned with the specific objectives of the National Forest Strategy to support the socio- economic functions of forests and protect, restore and expand Romania’s forests (page 11).

b. Order no. 1648/2000 on the approval of technical rules on compositions, schemes and technologies for forest regeneration and afforestation of degraded land

Ministerial Order No. 2533/2022 was approved by the Minister for Water and Forestry on 28 September 2022. It approves the technical rules for compositions, schemes and regeneration technologies of forests and afforestation of degraded land and the Good Practice Guide on Composition, schemes and technologies for forest regeneration and afforestation of degraded land. In Article 4, Ministerial Order No. 2533/2022 provides that with its entry into force Ministerial Order No. 1648/2000 ceased to apply. Ministerial Order No. 2533/2022 in the Official Journal No. 1000 on 14 October 2022 and entered into force on the same date, according to the provisions of Article 12(3) of Law No. 24/2000 on legislative technique rules for drafting legal acts.

The National Forest Strategy prescribes requirements for afforestation and reforestation to ensure species and ecotypes are climate-resilient and do not adversely affect biodiversity. Specifically, the Strategy mandates: "Requirements for species and ecotypes to be climate-resilient and without negative impact on biodiversity. The strategy shall respond to the need to have updated guidelines on tree planting in Romania and shall create safeguards, in particular, to exclude the use or release of invasive alien species" under point a) of SDA 7. This requirement is justified by Annex 1 of the amended Ministerial Order No. 1648/2000, Article 3, which states: "(6) The species and ecotypes used in afforestation shall be climate-resistant and without negative impact on biodiversity. (7) In afforestation, forest reproductive material of tree species and ecotypes that are appropriate to future climatic conditions of Romania shall be used."

Furthermore, the Strategy stipulates under point b) of SDA7: "Requirements for the production of reproductive material to target tree species and ecotypes that are suitable for Romania’s future