French, German environment ministers highlight link between resilience and recycling at event in Bucharest
Speaking at the Resource Recovery Summit 2026 event held in Bucharest on March 18, the environment ministers of France and Germany highlighted that mechanisms like the deposit-return system, known locally as SGR, maintain a country’s economic resilience and resource sovereignty. The same system was praised by officials from Poland.
The headline panel of the event was a high-level policy dialogue on Green Deal implementation and DRS coordination across member states. It included Romanian environment minister Diana Buzoianu and her French and German counterparts, Monique Barbut and Carsten Schneider, but also representatives from Poland, Cyprus, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the World Bank.
During the discussions, the officials from France and Germany praised Romania’s focus on recycling and maintained that in this way, access to resources is increased, particularly in the context of a global race for materials.
“Countries that obtain raw materials through recycling rather than through imports are in a stronger position. In Germany, we are working intensely on resource conservation and circularity,” said Carsten Schneider in a video message.
The same message was conveyed by the French environment minister. “Factories are closing due to the uncontrolled level of imports of Chinese goods, such as recycled plastic, batteries, and all these products. This has killed our recycling industry. Any type of regulation to help our private recycling sector should be part of the upcoming Circular Economy Act, which will be developed in Brussels,” said Monique Barbut.
She also praised Romania’s DRS system in later press statements, while noting that in the future, countries may choose to make waste management costs directly proportionate to the weight of non-recycled garbage.
Anita Sowińska, an undersecretary in the Polish environment minister, said Romania’s deposit-return system is a model for her country. “Poland just implemented the deposit system a few months ago, and we collected 300,000 packages in 3 months. We have challenges, but looking at your example, I am sure we will overcome them,” she said.
In her intervention, Romanian environment minister Diana Buzoianu said that the government has heavily invested in infrastructure in recent months. “At the Ministry of Environment, we have 80% of the money we are spending is being directed to investments. That means waste infrastructure, 5,000 digitalized eco-islands that will be used starting this August, [...] and more than 200 voluntary collection centers that Romania did not have,” she said.
Regarding resources, the minister said that the success of Romania’s DRS system, which brought the recycling of plastic and glass bottles to around 83%, shows that the citizens understood the importance of a circular economy. “Coordination at the European level will bring stability at the local and national level. We need local processes, manufacturers, and a local market, but it is only going to grow if we already have an open European market,” Buzoianu added.
The government of Romania, through the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, organized the Resource Recovery Summit 2026 in collaboration with the Green Revolution Association and with the support of Envipco and RetuRO.
(Photo source: Ministerul Mediului on Facebook)
