Discussions about the Cosnita II career should focus on monitoring environmental compliance and the benefits that the project could bring to the locality, argue the representatives of the majority group in the local council of the commune. According to them, if an economic project can contribute to the resolution of an ecological issue, to the reclamation of the land, to revenues for the local budget, and to legal economic activity, then it should be rationally analyzed, not automatically demonized.
During a press conference at IPN, lawyer Alexandru Bot, who represents a majority group of local councilors from Cosnita commune, stated that, after clarifying the legal aspects, the community’s attention should be directed towards the effective monitoring of the activities to be carried out in the area. “The community has the right to guarantees, to monitoring, to transparency, and to control. But the community also has the right to development, to local revenues, to social projects, and to the resolution of old problems,” the lawyer mentioned.
The representative of the advisers from Cosnita mentioned that the change of the land’s purpose does not represent, in itself, an exploitation permit and does not exempt the economic agent from the legal obligations regarding environmental protection and the restoration of affected lands. He stated that state institutions have tools to intervene in case of potential violations.
Another argument invoked is the existence of an unauthorized landfill near the targeted lands. According to the counselors, the project provides for the liquidation and conservation of this area, which has been considered an environmental issue for the locality for years.
According to the advisors, the project could bring additional revenue to the local budget through taxes and other payments, money that could be directed towards infrastructure, public services, and social projects. They argue that economic arguments should not prevail over environmental ones, but they cannot be ignored either. On behalf of the majority group of advisors from the Cosnita commune, their representative, Alexandru Bot, called for mature discussions, based on documents and facts.
Note: IPN Agency offers the right of reply to those who consider themselves targeted in the news made from the statements of the organizers of this press conference, including by facilitating the organization of another press conference under similar conditions.
