The Neptun Deep deposit must be exploited, so that we are not forced to import natural gas from other countries, Minister of the Environment Mircea Fechet told AGERPRES in an interview, pointing out that the environmental impact assessment for this project was carried out observing all Romanian and European requirements.

'I believe that Romania's natural resources must be respected, and they must be exploited, of course, with all the requirements I mentioned earlier. I do not think that we should avoid exploiting the Neptun Deep deposit and eventually import natural gas from other countries. I am actually looking forward to visiting that platform to see how all the exploitation procedures will unfold, and I am eager for the first Romanian gas molecule to be exploited and eventually injected into the National Energy System,' said the minister.

He also discussed pollution levels, stressing that there is no Integrated Air Quality Plan in the Capital, a document that is also awaited by the European Court of Justice, with a significant risk of being condemned in the absence of such a strategic document.

'We are not only waiting for it, but the European Court of Justice is also expecting it because we will be judged, and there is a significant risk of being condemned if we do not have such a strategic document. This document clarifies pollution sources, categorizing them by specific areas, so we could know how much pollution comes from traffic, how much from residential heating, how much from apartment heating plants, how much from district heating systems, and alongside these, we would have an action plan that, once implemented, should result in the reduction of these levels. It is possible that what is written in the Air Quality Plan may not be adequate or may not be an effective measure. Before we get an answer to this situation, I think we need to ensure that we have identified the source, proposed an instrument to manage the source, reduce generated pollutants, and evaluate the effectiveness of that measure,' said Fechet.

On the other hand, regarding beach rentals, the minister of the Environment pointed out that the rental period has been extended from two years to ten years, to allow economic operators to invest, and for the payback period of those expenses to be longer.

Mircea Fechet also spoke in the interview about how the government should react to support the local automotive industry.

'I believe, and it is not just my opinion but the result of a discussion I had with car importers' associations and car manufacturers' associations in Romania, that the value of this [Rabla Plus programme incentive for purchasing electric vehicles] voucher should increase in 2025. Whether it will increase or not, the decision will most likely be made together with the minister of Finance and the prime minister, because it is also a political decision. However, I believe this voucher value should increase, and I also believe that we should support the Romanian industry, the car manufacturing industry. Starting this year, we have a manufacturer producing three electric models here in Romania, and I think such initiatives should be appreciated at the governmental level. And one of the ways to do this is through a specific bonus for such a model produced in Romania, because it is one thing to bring a car a few hundred or tens of kilometres and another to bring it from 5,000 kilometres away to put it on the market in Romania or Europe,' said Fechet.

The minister of the Environment also spoke in the interview about the Guarantee-Return System (SGR), one of the most efficient packaging collection systems in Europe, and how Romsilva, the entity responsible for Romania's forests, can become more efficient. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Badea, editor: Nicoleta Gherasi; EN - editor: Adina Panaitescu)