Greenpeace Romania and ClientEarth have won a four-year legal battle against illegal coal pollution in Romania, ending the country’s long-term breach of the EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive (IED). The action aimed at the Romanian government’s piecemeal pollution law, which laid out inadequate penalties for coal plants operating either in breach of their environmental permit or under no permit at all. Nearly half of the country’s coal plants were operating permit-free, a major breach of the IED.

The organisations brought a formal complaint to the European Commission in 2019, which started an infringement proceeding against Romania in 2020. The Commission demanded the country bring its national legislation in line with the IED to effectively protect human health and safeguard the natural environment. In response, Romania has implemented substantial reforms, including a new Industrial Emissions Law that boosts fines in many cases to over ten times their previous level, introduces criminal penalties for operators running activities without a permit, and mandates suspensions for certain illegal operations.

Experts at ClientEarth and Greenpeace argue that the IED reform must keep people’s health at its heart. They believe that industries that violate the legislation must be severely penalised and their activity suspended until they comply. The news comes as EU decision-makers finalise the enforcement system of the updated IED.

Romania faces several ecological challenges that impact its environment and biodiversity. Deforestation, driven by logging and agricultural expansion, threatens the country’s rich forests. Illegal logging exacerbates this issue. Water pollution, primarily from industrial discharges and inadequate waste management, affects rivers and lakes.

Air pollution, particularly in urban areas, stems from industrial activities and outdated heating systems. Loss of biodiversity is a concern, with habitat destruction and over-exploitation posing threats. Addressing these issues requires sustainable resource management, improved waste disposal, and stricter environmental regulations.