Can forests really be all things to all people?
We have high expectations of our forests. They should provide diverse habitats, fulfil our wildly-romantic desires, act as carbon sinks and, at the same time, provide us with firewood and timber - cheaply and profitably, of course. But our expectations are not just high and diverse, they’re also contradictory. And they’re just as difficult to reconcile as everything the EU Commission envisages for forests in its various regulations and strategies, as well as under the European Green Deal.
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Illegal logging of Romania’s natural forests increases despite court threat
New data reveal that the destruction of the EU’s last large remaining primary and old-growth forests in Romania is continuing unabated.
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Still a long way to go for Western Balkan states
EU Commission presents country reports on accession candidates
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Renewed violence against environmental activists in Romania
A forest conservationist and two journalists have been brutally beaten up by suspected illegal loggers in the Carpathians. This is not the first case of violence against people who stand in the way of the Romanian timber mafia.
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No green light for small hydropower in EU Finance Taxonomy
Hydropower is not a sustainable investment. EU Commission should listen to science.
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Protection of some primary forests announced – shortly before national elections
After years of bureaucratic burdens some iconic primary forest – such as Boia Mica valley in Fagaras Mountains – are finally protected. However, studies about 13.000 ha of precious forest are still blocked by the government – and hundreds of thousands of hectares of high nature value forests are still under threat from destructive logging.
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Legal victory for Romania's forests
For a long time, the Romanian authorities and the Romsilva State Forest Administration kept environmentally relevant information in forest management plans secret – contrary to the provisions of the Aarhus Convention and the EU Environmental Information Directive. Agent Green therefore had to seek access to relevant information in numerous legal proceedings.
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Witnessing illegal logging by Romanian state forests
Fact-finding trip by Thomas Waitz, MEP with Agent Green reveals that illegal logging in Natura 2000 areas continues regardless of EU infringement proceedings.
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Nature conservation essential for EU accession
Hydropower, deforestation, biodiversity: The Commission's report on the EU candidate countries sets out clear requirements for nature conservation.
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Tackle illegal logging or face court, Commission warns Romanian Government
The European Commission has demanded today that Romanian authorities take immediate action to stop illegal logging of old-growth and primary forests in Romania’s protected areas.
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