Illegal logging in natural forests of Romania - new complaint to the European Commission submitted by EuroNatur, Agent Green and ClientEarth

The document details a legal complaint against the Romanian government for large-scale illegal logging in primary and old-growth forests, specifically within Natura 2000 protected sites. It argues that Romania has failed to implement the EU Timber Regulation, the Habitats Directive, and the Birds Directive, leading to the loss of half of the country's identified intact virgin forests over the last 15 years. Evidence from the Făgăraș Mountains, Maramures Mountains, and Domogled shows significant habitat deterioration and threats to protected species, including the capercaille.

• Romania has lost 50% of its previously identified intact virgin forests over the last 15 years, many of which were located within Natura 2000 sites.
• The European Commission initiated infringement proceedings on February 13, 2020, citing Romania's failure to implement the EU Timber Regulation and conduct required impact evaluations under the Habitats and Strategic Environmental Assessment Directives.
• Analysis of three specific regions demonstrates widespread environmental damage: the Făgăraș Mountains show a majority of analyzed habitats are no longer in good conservation status; Maramures has over 10,000 hectares of clear cuts; and Domogled exhibits high levels of habitat deterioration.
• Logging in the Făgăraș Mountains has negatively impacted bird populations, with research indicating that half of the 25 bird species the site was created to protect, including the capercaille, now have critically low population levels.
• Romanian law permits systematic logging of natural forests on an area five times larger than the Bialowieza Forest in Poland without requiring an impact assessment.

APA

ClientEarth (2020). Illegal logging in natural forests of Romania - new complaint to the European Commission submitted by EuroNatur, Agent Green and ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/gkdhecrk/briefing-paper-complaint-to-the-european-commission-re-illegal-logging-in-romanian-forests-coll-en1.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Illegal logging in natural forests of Romania - new complaint to the European Commission submitted by EuroNatur, Agent Green and ClientEarth. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/gkdhecrk/briefing-paper-complaint-to-the-european-commission-re-illegal-logging-in-romanian-forests-coll-en1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Illegal logging in natural forests of Romania - new complaint to the European Commission submitted by EuroNatur, Agent Green and ClientEarth |date=22 April 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/gkdhecrk/briefing-paper-complaint-to-the-european-commission-re-illegal-logging-in-romanian-forests-coll-en1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2020illegal, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Illegal logging in natural forests of Romania - new complaint to the European Commission submitted by EuroNatur, Agent Green and ClientEarth}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/gkdhecrk/briefing-paper-complaint-to-the-european-commission-re-illegal-logging-in-romanian-forests-coll-en1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }