Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB), and her Romanian counterpart, State Secretary Dan Popescu, stated today that they would step up their cooperation in the field of environmental protection. The focus will be on the exchange of views on European environmental issues.
The aims of the climate policy dialogue included supporting Romania in establishing a forward-looking, low-carbon economy. Previously, Germany had already advised Romania‘s environmental protection agency on the implementation of EU environmental law. The 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework adopted by European leaders in October 2014 provides economically weaker Member States the possibility to link modernising their energy infrastructure with climate action.
Romania has a high level of biodiversity that must be protected in the Danube delta, parts of the Carpathians and the Black Sea coast. The BMUB is therefore currently supporting two consulting projects for the protection of the Carpathians. Germany and Romania are also continuing their cooperation on the protection of the Danube and the establishment of the World Natural Heritage "European beech forests“.
With a view to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter also advocated supporting an ambitious international climate agreement during her meeting with Dan Popescu: "The EU should be unified and set an example for other regions of the world while living up to its role as a pioneer in climate action.