Romania wants to ban timber exports until end-summer

Romania plans to suspend timber, log and firewood exports until August 31, according to a draft Emergency Ordinance which the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests launched for public debate. The Government will adopt it this week during the Wednesday meeting, said Prime Minister Victor Ponta. Until then, it’s trying to find a form which wouldn’t bring any sanctions from the European Commission. The Environment Ministry also launched for debate a draft Emergency Ordinance which provides that any timber, log and firewood export and intra-community delivery need to be accompanied by a license. The Government launched the two draft Emergency Ordinances, due to the “magnitude of illegal logging in the last 10 years”, according to the Environment Ministry. editor@romania-insider.com