The European Commission has approved aid of 200 million euros to Romania, which will be paid to forestry workers to stop cutting down trees.
The aid will be paid until 2027, and it is planned that forest workers will receive compensation every time they are prevented from cutting down trees for environmental reasons, Politico reports.
"The goal is to stop the loss of biodiversity, improve ecosystem protection and preserve habitats and landscapes," the Commission said in a statement.
The decision comes at a time when Romania is under pressure from the EU to crack down on illegal logging, a problem it has struggled with for years.
In 2020, the European Commission initiated proceedings against Romania, because it did not prevent the clearing of protected forests and stop the illegal cutting of trees. To combat this problem, Romania has introduced measures to combat illegal logging, including the opening of a dedicated prosecutor's office and police that deal only with organized crime related to logging.
Environmental groups claim that these measures were not effective enough and indicate that illegal logging still occurs in old, protected forests, which have always been "sinks" of carbon dioxide.
In May, a group of European lawmakers traveled to Romania to find out the facts and assess the country's progress in tackling illegal logging, and their report is expected in the coming months.
MN/FoNet
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