Draft of the Emergency Ordinance: cutting down trees, even from private properties, becomes a crime if it affects green spaces of over one hectare.

The Minister of the Environment, Diana Buzoianu, announced on Wednesday that she has sent for approval a draft Emergency Ordinance that will make the cutting down of trees, even from private property, a crime in the case of the destruction of green spaces larger than one hectare.

She emphasized that such actions, like those in IOR Park, must be punished with imprisonment. Buzoianu warned that cities already have too few green spaces and that it is essential not to leave them prey to the real estate mafia.

The draft Emergency Ordinance comes as a reaction to the significant loss of green space, with Bucharest experiencing a decrease of over 500 hectares in recent decades. In IOR Park, for example, over 1,500 trees have been illegally cut down, and the authorities have been unable to intervene due to legislative limitations.

Through this ordinance, it is intended to correct the existing legislative gap and to truly protect urban green spaces.