Romania to support Ukraine's reconstruction projects in Romania's vicinity

Ukraine's reconstruction projects that include investments in Romania's immediate vicinity will be supported by the Romanian authorities by unblocking the administrative procedures which are often time consuming, Secretary of State for European Affairs with the Environment, Waters and Forestry Ministry (MMAP) Ionut Sorin Banciu wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

He had a meeting with the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Ruslan Strilets, on the sidelines of the informal Council of EU Ministers of the Environment, held in Prague, which discussed the environmental impact of the Russian military aggression, the detailed assessment of these environmental damages and the solutions for the restoration and ecological reconstruction of the landscapes devastated by the war.

"The pleasant atmosphere was overshadowed by discussions about the impact of the Ukrainian war on people and nature, which we had with Ukrainian Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets and Bulgarian Environment Minister Borislav Sandov. We approached various topics, from the scars the war in our neighbourhood leaves for a long time, but also about the European course of Ukraine and the support that Romania and Bulgaria can offer to our neighbours. (...) On the second day, after the presentation of the report on the environmental incidents caused by the war, we had a long discussion about the detailed assessment of these environmental damages and about the solutions for the restoration and ecological reconstruction of the landscapes devastated by the war. (...) we discussed the reconstruction projects of Ukraine, which include investments in the immediate vicinity of Romania. We assured the Ukrainian minister of the Romanian authorities's support regarding the cross-border procedures for assessing the environmental impact of these projects. We will communicate directly and unblock all time-consuming administrative procedures. It is another way to come to the aid of neighbouring Ukraine in order to speed up reconstruction and recovery in a sustainable way," the Environment Ministry representative said.

Representatives of Ukraine presented to the EU Environment ministers a report on the environmental damage recorded in the last four months.

Secretary of State for European Affairs of the Ministry of Environment Ionut Sorin Banciu is the head of the Romanian delegation to the informal meeting of Environment Ministers of the EU member states, which takes place between 13 and 15 July 2022, in Prague.