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Senate: Harming Romania's strategic economic interests considered threat to national security
The Senators adopted on Monday the legislative proposal that complements Law No. 51/1991 in that any action or failure to take action that harms Romania's strategic economic resources is considered a threat to national security.
The legislative proposal of the National Liberal Party (PNL), as amended in the expert committees, supplements Article 3 of the National Security Law with letter m) that provides that "any action or failure to take action that adversely affects Romania's strategic economic interests, that results in endangering, the illegal management, damaging or destruction of natural resources, forest, wildlife and fish stock, water and other such resources, the monopolization thereof or the blocking of access thereto with national or regional consequences" is considered a threat to national security.
In connection with the forestry stock, the initiators make it clear in the explanatory memorandum to the bill that forestry is a sector where inequalities and abuses "have been building up year after year," and the value of illegal felling activities reported following checks amounts to five billion euros, "a figure that in reality is even higher."
"Twice more than what could be regenerated or afforested has been cut down in the past eight years and this proportion is only that part of illegal felling that could be quantified. Measures were attempted to stop this by control activities, but they proved inefficient. The Court of Accounts even mentions the encouragement and perpetuation of violations of the forestry regime, specifically illegal wood cutting and trading," reads the explanatory memorandum.
This is an organic law and the Senate, acting in its capacity as decision-making chamber, adopted it by 99 ayes and four abstentions. The legislative proposal cleared the Chamber of Deputies at its October 7 sitting.