Eco-friendly Romania: Viable Option or Green Dream?

It can be inspiring to look around Romania and see the advancement that has occurred or is in store for the country, if all goes to plan. The vision of many Romanians, expats, and foreign investors is firmly fixed on the European Union (EU) and what it has to offer in the next five to ten years. In this environment of corporate responsibility and the race for more results to quell the tide of corruption amid the current hurricane of a political climate, many may feel that development and new regulations outside of banks and business is all but forgotten.

People who live in small farming villages around the country have been reportedly overwhelmed by the well-accessorized experts who have come to their towns and told them how they will be running their farms under the umbrella of the EU, or told by businesspersons how much they're offering for their lifeblood, or land as it is mundanely known. They've been told they can access the information on the Internet while many of these farmers do not even have indoor plumbing. Perhaps the EU will play a part in not only modernizing farm life but also in offering updated green solutions. Green, or environmentally friendly, alternatives to the old fires of industry is not a topic often heard unless discussing a mining site such as Rosia Montana where the threats of the open-pit mine are underscored by the Romanian Academy, or the Baia Mare Aurul project where the Lapus River has carried toxic waste into the Somes, Tisza and Danube rivers.

Many countries have had to retrofit industries due to trends and cost-cutting in the past. According to the EU, it is generally more cost-effective for countries entering into the union to introduce green legislation and guidelines before joining instead of expensive retrofitting once the nation has joined. The last several years has seen enormous development in many Romanian sectors but slowly the skeletons are coming out of the closet as the price paid for this boom has been quality in some cases and pollution in others. "Transgenic seeds are a poisoned promise. Romania did not have any scientific and public debate prior to the commercial introduction. Neither the authorities, nor the companies, applied the precautionary principle in assessing the impact of these crops in agriculture. Year after year, the acreage of the herbicide resistant soybeans increased uncontrollably," said Dragos Dima, quoted by Greenpeace, who left Monsanto just before GE (genetically engineered) soybeans were introduced into Romania in 1999.

The price for a solid economy and amenities could cost as much as the eradication of several species of animals and plant life if precautions are not taken. The Danube Delta has many supporters due to the tourism projects and NGOs who have stood up to protect it on the international stage, but the country as a whole could suffer greatly from the stigma of ignoring the rest of Romania's environment. Products from Romania could be viewed as possibly all GE-related due to the poor regulation of these crops, and the potent mix of the bird flu epidemic in the last few years which affected the chicken industry as well as the possible introduction of massive hog factories by Smithfield Foods with their infractions reported by Greenpeace as well as individuals could bring meat exportation to a near-standstill. In the case of bird flu in 2006 this was true, with the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority rushing to display reassuring signs on public transportation saying that chicken was an approved meat to consume.

With the costs of brownfield against greenfield investments and the lack of space in many targeted areas of development, investors who are looking to sink their teeth into the last remaining spaces in Romania are having to weigh the options. According to the ARIS report for December 2006, FDI with significant impact on the national economy totaled 210 million out of which USD 39.5 million were greenfield investments, and USD 169.6 million were brownfield. The location of most brownfield investments (closed factories and mills in the middle of or near cities) make them attractive, while the investments needed to sanitize the site instead of working from a near-clean slate can be a deterrent.

Progress in other forms seem to be targeted as last week Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Attila Korodi spoke at the Asia-Europe Meeting and said that Romania's focus for the following years will consist of separating economic development from greenhouse gas emissions. "This is possible through the implementation of coherent policies and measures referring to the energy efficiency, the promotion of the use of renewable energy, the decrease in the energy consumption in industry, transports, agriculture and waste management," the minister said, quoted by ROMPRES.

The future for people in Romania could include green solutions which would be in sync with current systems and habits, but the lure of corporations and the "bigger is better" ideal with stable incomes and modern conveniences may prove to be too much in the last green, cultural stand.