The Bucharest-Ilfov Green Belt received a historic vote in the Senate, within the framework of the New Forestry Code

On Monday, the Senate adopted the Forestry Code, which includes the creation of the Bucharest – Ilfov Green Belt, free access to the forest for recreation and the protection of outstanding trees, announces the Civic Platform “Together for the Green Belt”, initiator of the law regarding the protection of the forests in Ilfov, stating that 87 of the 92 senators present voted in favor of the project.

“Today, the Senate really listened to the legitimate needs of civil society and acted accordingly, in the only assumed and ethical way in which it could have done it,” said Alex Găvan, founder of the civic platform. Senarul is the first forum referred to the project initiated by the Government and under emergency procedure in the Parliament, the decision-making being the Chamber of Deputies.

“The Senate adopted today, in the joint vote for the new Forestry Code, with 87 votes “for”, one vote “against” and three abstentions, the amendments to protect the forests of Ilfov, the cornerstone of the future Bucharest-Ilfov Green Belt. The Ministry of the Environment officially supports the approach, along with parliamentarians from across the political spectrum. Last week, after four rounds of debates, the environment and forest committees of the Senate voted for these amendments unanimously,” the civic platform announces.

One senator present did not vote. The draft of the new Forestry Code, a legislative priority of the Government, is to enter the debate of the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body.

The Senate also voted for free access to the forest for recreation, a topic that sparked heated debates in the public space in the last half year and for which the civic platform carried out an intense advocacy activity.