Status: Romania has submitted an Outline Strategy for the Integrated Management of the Romanian Coastal Zone - Towards Implementation to the European Commission in February 2006. The Outline Strategy Draft, as result of the MATRA Project, was the first one for the Romanian Coast.
During the past 4 years, first steps have been made to implement the EC Reccomendation. The National ICZM Law (Emergency Ordinance 202/2002 - modified as Law 280/2003) has been subject to important changes (has been enhanced, shaped according to the EC recommendations, and proposals were made to make it more functional) and is currently waiting for debate and approval in the Romanian Parliament, together with the Outline Draft Strategy for the Romanian coast.
Visions and strategies exist (in the Outline Strategy) as basis for further sectoral development plans, but these still have to be elaborated in detail.
During the past two years the National Committee has become functional and a series of measures have been taken, aiming mainly at the environmental protection and rehabilitation of the coast. Several more technical parts of required legislation have also been approved and are on course of being implemented. It is nevertheless too early to make any previsions on the future evolution, especially in the absence of the new and improved version of the ICZM Law and Strategy.
As it is still an outline draft, it can be foreseen that many technical problems / conflicts shall appear during its future implementation. As a general problem encountered so far in Romania, the effective law enforcement shall be the critical point. Nevertheless, the National Committee, as leading unit of the Romanian ICZM, has already begun to abide by the defined strategy.
Reporting Institution
Ministry of Environment and Water Protection
Bucharest
The coordinating entity for ICZM - the National Committee has been founded and is functional (meeting twice a year in regular meetings and whenever necessary). The National Committee consists of all important stakeholders involved on the Romanian coast, and has begun to implement the ICZM requirements and principles.