During the next few years, the government aims to afforest 100,000 hectares. Minister of Environment Iuliana Cantaragiu said that information about the areas that need be planted with trees is now being collected from the local public authorities, while the total budget of the program is €1 billion. The Republic of Moldova does not have such funds, but holds negotiations with the foreign partners for obtaining financing for this ambitious project, IPN reports.

According to official data, the forests in Moldova represent only 11% of the country’s territory. Through the National Afforestation Program, the authorities plan to afforest another 15% of the territory by 2030. The minister said that €1bn is needed for the purpose.

“We are having a dialogue with the local public authorities and are collecting data about the areas that we want to afforest. We have agreed over 4,500 ha already. The financing for this afforestation program is the most serious challenge. The costs are very large. An estimated €1 billion is needed for afforesting the 100,000 hectares. The sum hasn’t been mentioned so far,” Iuliana Cantaragiu stated in the program “Special Edition” on the public TV channel Moldova 1.

Iuliana Cantaragiu said the lack of financing is an obstacle to the extension of afforestation activities, while the National Ecological Fund, which is the main financing instrument for implementing environmental policies, is insufficient.

“We are discussing with the development partners that can help us in in this regard. The obtaining of financing is a rather bureaucratic process. Until we get foreign funds, we managed to amend the state budget and 57 million lei has been allocated this year for the afforestation program,” said the minister.

In another development, Iuliana Cantaragiu said the extension of the environmental permit for the Rybnitsa steel works for one more month is a compromise solution for the right side of the Nistru to obtain a lower price for the electricity purchased from the Kuchurgan Power Plant. The steel works applied for a permanent environmental permit, but this will be issued only if environmental inspectors determine that the plant has the equipment needed for capturing emissions and if it pays the environmental tax into the state budget. Under the law, the environmental permits are issued to business entities for a five-year period.