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

on active species vulnerability monitoring”. Moreover, point f) of SDA6 in the Strategy stipulates: “preventive measures that increase natural soil absorption capacity will be included in management activities for the stability of forest ecosystems”. Article 2(2) of Ministerial Order No. 2534/2022 provides that the work carried out must increase the natural soil absorption capacity and consider meeting the specific requirements for adaptation to climate change. Therefore, it complies with the requirement for the National Forest Strategy 2020-2030 set out in point (d) of milestone #22.

This order is aligned with the specific objective of the National Forest Strategy to protect, restore and expand Romania’s forests (page 11).

d. Order no. 1650/2000 on the approval of the Technical Norms on the choice and application of treatments

Ministerial Order No. 2535/2022 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. SDA6.2 in the Strategy mandates the implementation of updated technical norms that distinguish clearly between regeneration cuts and conservation works, and it emphasises the efficient use of seed years and the creation of highly stable stands. Ministerial Order No. 2535/2022 incorporates these updated norms and best practices to fulfil the objectives set out in SDA6. The technical rules touch upon several key factors, including new research over the past 20 years on intensive treatments, a complex approach to special conservation works (notably for coppice-treated stands and selected American poplars and willow), and the necessity of detailing treatment techniques where classic regeneration cuts require supplemental ecological reconstruction. Additionally, they

also consider the changes in the legal regime of forest lands over the last two decades and emphasizes a distinct approach to biodiversity conservation and enhancement. Article 4 of Ministerial Order No. 2535/2022 provides that with its entry into force Ministerial Order No. 1650/2000 ceased to apply. Ministerial Order No. 2535/2022 was published in the Official Journal No. 994 on 13 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.

This order is aligned with the specific objective of the National Forest Strategy to protect, restore and expand Romania’s forests (page 11).

e. Order no. 1653/2000 regarding the approval of the Technical Norms regarding the annual control of regenerations

Ministerial Order No. 2537/2022 was approved by the Minister for Water and Forestry on 28 September 2022. It approves the technical rules for forest regeneration and carrying out of annual controls of regeneration and the guide to good practices on forest regeneration and carrying out the annual control of regeneration. It is aligned with the objectives of especially SDA6 in the Strategy, the “Adequate management for the stability of forest ecosystems” and SDA7, the “Increase of forest cover by afforestation of non-forest land”. Article 4 of Ministerial Order No. 2537/2022 provides that with its entry into force Ministerial Order No. 1653/2000 ceased to apply. Ministerial Order No. 2537/2022 was published in the Official Journal No. 995 on 13 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.

This order is aligned with the specific objective of the National Forest Strategy to restore and expand Romania’s forests (page 11).