Romania Environment Coalition and the The Civil Society Development Foundation had issued an open letter to the Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and the Minister of Environment, Cristiana Pasca-Palmer, decrying the lack of programs dedicated to the environmental protection, a press release sent to energynomics.ro writes.
The budget and the programs of the Environmental Fund Administration (AFM) are only used to continue the support of the car manufacturers and importers, as the only functional program at the present is the Rabla program.
In more than eight months of an tehnocrato-NGO-ist governing, several guides for environmental protection programs were launched into debate; however this institution [AFM] is still captive to some operating models that serve only the Rabla program,” the statement said.
Currently, over 2,000,000 lei were used through the Rabla program, while programs for planting trees or biodiversity have 0% absorption. The coalition argues that the Rabla program contributes to increased CO2 emissions, promotes the black market of the specialized tickets and represents a hidden subsidy paid to importers and car manufacturers.
“To meet the punctual need of old car disposal, we propose that the withdrawal bonus should be used exclusively for electric or hybrid cars, bicycles and electric bicycles, solar panels and photovoltaic panels or other goods or equipment supporting the objectives of the environmental protection” says the Coalition.
Officials of the 32 non-governmental organizations that form the Coalition say that the Environment Fund must prioritize the environmental programs announced by the Ministry of Environment and the coordinating authority of the Fund, AFM, must be reorganized in order to meet new requirements.
“This institution is unable at this time to anticipate and manage the programs announced and we anticipate it will succumb without financing something else than the Rabla Program. In this regard, we ask you to consider outsourcing the entire process of project demand, assessment, contracting, monitoring and payment for some programs, such as is the Education and public awareness program on environmental protection.”
The solution of outsourcing the AFM programs, would increase transparency and fairness of grant funding (in 2014 a call for proposals was canceled after serious irregularities were discovered by NGOs for environment) and would increase the use of funds devoted to environmental protection programs.
“Otherwise, the current strategy will linger on at a level of good-intentions”, say the officials of the Romanian Environmental Coalition.
