The local public authorities could access zero-interest loans from the Treasury to eventually succeed in closing non-compliant landfills, the Environment Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Constantin told a PRIA Environment conference on Wednesday.
„A part of the non-compliant waste deposits should have been closed since 2009, others since 2011, 2012. In this case, the European Commission’s action to the European Court of Justice is imminent, and Romania unfortunately risks being fined for failing to observe its commitments. Out of 65 landfills in infringement procedure, roughly 45 are currently closed, the rest being in various stages, be they in mixed up legal situations, or lacking funds. I also had a talk with the Finance Minister and I believe that in the next period until the local public authorities tender projects to be funded from the EU and till they’ll be granted those amounts, we come with the zero-interest respective money from the state budget. Sums are not that huge, I think we could deal with this effort, because here too we are facing a limit situation,” Constantin explained.
On the other side, the Environment Minister mentioned that Romania is lagging behind with the National Waste Management Programme (PNGD), and the situation should be solved because a risk exists that the funds available under the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) are suspended.
The Environment Minister also reminded the air pollution chapter, where Romania faces infringement for three urban agglomerations.
Authorities, representatives of the business milieu, of the scientific community and leaders of the local communities participate on Wednesday in the PRIA Environment conference. The event addresses, among other topics: treatment, cleaning and management of water resources, electronic and electrical devices’ recycling, environment pollution’s prevention and control, waste from packaging, metals and hazardous waste.
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