Climate Change Related Activities in Romania

1. Climate Change Related Activities in Romania Dumitra MEREUTA Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - June 2007, Bucharest -

2. Current Situation and Legal Framework • UNFCCC – signed in 1992 at Rio Earth Summit – ratified in 1994 by Law 24 • Kyoto Protocol – signed in 1999 – ratified in 2001 by Law 3 • Romania – first Annex I country to ratify the Kyoto Protocol • Target – 8% reduction of GHG emissions; 1989 base year • G.D. no. 645/2005 - approving National Strategy on Climate Change • G.D. no. 1877/2005 - approving National Action Plan on Climate Change • G.D. no. 658/2006 reorganization of the National Commission on Climate Change (NCCC) inter-ministerial consultative body, coordinated by MESD – promoting all necessary actionsin accordance with UNFCCC and KP • G.D. no. 780/2006 establishing the greenhouse gases emissions trading scheme and the subsequent legislations

3. Institutional Framework • Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - National Focal Point, coordinating the strategies and policies on climate change, EU ETS • National Agency for Environmental Protection - implementing strategies and policies on climate change, GHG inventories, EU ETS implementation • National Administration for Meteorology - vulnerability, impact, and adaptation measures to climate change • National Environmental Fund Administration - GHG emissions reduction projects database, GIS funds administrator • National Commission on Climate Change - advising the Minister of Environment on policy decisions, actions and measures for applying the UNFCCC and KP provisions • Local EPAs, research institutes, universities, NGOs, companies

4. GHG National Inventory • December 2002 – first submission of the inventories for the period 1992-2000 in the required format (CRF and NIR) • UNFCCC Secretariat organized in 2003 the first ever review of the National GHGInventory of Romania (in-country review) • May 2005 – submission of the recalculated inventories for the period 1989-2003 using the new reporting tool - CRF Reporter

5. National Strategy on Climate Change • National Strategy on Climate Change (NSCC) outlines Romania’s policies in meeting the international commitments under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol as well as Romania’s national priorities in climate change • NSCC also specifies the environmental and economic benefits for participating in the flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, namely Joint Implementation (JI) and International Emissions Trading (IET) • Implementing the climate change activities necessary for Romania’s accession to the EU and for participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme

6. National Action Plan on Climate Change • Represents the main tool to implement the National Strategy on Climate Change • Establishing the progresses in the implementation process • Concrete measures for the period 2005-2007 in order to achieve the fulfillment of the NSCC objectives • Assigning the responsibilities for the involved institutions • Identifying the main institutions responsible for each specific action • Clearly state the deadlines for the actions to be undertaken • Identifying the financial sources for developing NAPCC actions

7. EU Energy- Climate Change package In line with the Strategic EU Energy Review, the following concrete actions will ensure a competitive, more sustainable and secure energy system and a significant reduction of GHG emissions in the EU by 2020: • Improve the EU’s energy efficiency by 20 % by 2020 • Increase the share of renewable energy to 20 % by 2020.

8. EU Energy- Climate Change package • 30% greenhouse gas reduction target 1990 - 2020 on the condition that other industrialized countries also commit themselves to greenhouse gas reductions and that the more advances developing countries take similar measures. • if no global agreement is reached for reductions of greehouse gas emissions, the EU-27 will in any case reduce with 20% in the period 1990 - 2020.

9. The promotion of the use of biofuels • The main objective - pollution reduction • The national indicative targets for Romania are: • by the end of 2010 - 5,75%, calculated on the basis of energy content, of all petrol and diesel for transport purpose placed on the market; • by 2020 - 10%, calculated on the basis of energy content, of all petrol and diesel for transport purpose placed on the market. • Romania transposed the Directive 2003/30/EC by Governmental Decision no. 1844/2005 on promoting the utilisation of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport • The objective of 5,75% was established by the Governmental Decision no. 456/2007, which set gradual targets for biofuels content in fuel content for operators who place fuels on the market. • The Ministry of Economy and Finance has carried out a set of actions aiming at promoting the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels.

10. National Action Plan on Adaptation to Climate Change (NAPACC) Objectives: • to prepare a useful instrument for climate change policy makers and also for sectoral policy makers • to ensure that adequate consideration of adaptation is paid during sectoral planning and regulation • to help vulnerable sectors and also population to adapt to climate change • to built capacity on adaptation and to reduce the costs of the climate change impacts Contents: • Describing climate change and its impacts, as well as assessing the sensitivity of sectors • Assessing current adaptive capacity, vulnerability and opportunities associated with climate change • Presenting actions that should be taken immediately (such as research and development) and policies for future actions

11. www.mmediu.ro → Departamentul de mediu → Schimbari Climatice www.eu-ets.ro