9th meeting of German-Romanian Environment Commission
Romania and Germany have cooperated closely on environmental protection for many years. With the 9th meeting of the joint environment commission taking place in Bucharest today, both countries aim to further expand cooperation and give new impetus to the ongoing environmental debate in Europe. Katherina Reiche, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, said: "Romania has achieved a lot within a few years by improving environmental standards and environmental legislation. We intend to continue our close cooperation. The field of renewable energies offers great opportunities here." During the preparation phase of Romania's accession to the European Union Germany supported Romania with regard to the transposition of EU environmental legislation.
Talks with Romanian State Secretary Dragos Apostol at the Ministry of Environment and Forests are focussing primarily on European energy and climate policy against the background of the EU Commission's "Roadmap for moving to a low- carbon economy in 2050". An exchange on cooperation options in the fields of renewable energies and energy efficiency, water body protection, Natura 2000 and contaminated site management is also planned. Romania and Germany also cooperate under the EU's Danube Strategy, in which two environmental risk management projects are currently underway.
Accompanying the German Environment Ministry's delegation are representatives of nine solar energy and bioenergy companies, aiming to learn of the prospects of the Romanian market and holding talks with potential Romanian cooperation partners. Romania has substantial renewable energy potential, most of which is still untapped. "German companies have a lot to offer in the area of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. We intend to open doors for them and thus enable them to profit from the host of economic opportunities in countries such as Romania", said Katherina Reiche.