Romania's National Administration Romanian Waters (ANAR) has become a vulnerable system that has for too long been run largely under political influence, with little accountability for those who turn a blind eye to illegal activities causing tens of millions of lei in losses to the country, Environment, Waters and Forests Minister Diana Buzoianu said at a press conference on Tuesday.

'ANAR has become a vulnerable system that has for too long been run largely under political influence, with little accountability for those who turn a blind eye to illegal activities causing tens of millions of lei in losses to Romania. The Control Body's report on the situation in Olt reached the Environment Ministry a week ago (...) What you see here may look like a natural landform, it may look like a lake. In fact, the entire area used to be dry land, and the lake was created through completely illegal aggregate extraction, without any authorisation whatsoever. This 75-hectare lake was created in breach of all regulations and without any authorisation. No inspection has been carried out there in the past 15 years. The local water management authority, the director of the River Basin Administration, the director of the Water Management System and the inspectors responsible for carrying out checks did not conduct a single inspection at Mineralport, the company that effectively excavated this entire area. More than five million cubic metres of aggregates were extracted illegally, causing losses to Romania of more than 10 million lei from the aggregates alone. And that does not even include the water...' Buzoianu said.

According to the Environment minister, inspections carried out at the Olt River Basin Administration between 2019 and 2026 resulted in relatively few penalties.

She said the two companies investigated, Mineralport and Pond Star, had carried out illegal aggregate extraction over a combined area of 100 hectares, causing losses amounting to tens of millions of lei.

'In short, between 2010 and 2021 - for 11 years - the Olt River Basin Administration and the Olt Water Management System did not carry out a single inspection at Pond Star, one of the companies responsible for the illegal aggregate extraction over 25 hectares (...) The situation at Mineralport is the same. Not a single inspection was carried out there between 2011 and 2026,' the environment minister said.

Buzoianu said the Environment Ministry's Control Body report had been sent to ANAR and that the report clearly stated that disciplinary measures should be taken against those responsible.

The Environment minister further mentioned the situation concerning the mandate, which expires on Wednesday, of Madalina Ion-Duca, director-general of the Olt River Basin Administration, in the context of the irregularities identified by the Environment Ministry's Control Body and its recommendation that disciplinary measures be taken against those responsible.

'Given all these illegalities that have been uncovered and the Control Body's clear conclusion that disciplinary measures must be taken against those responsible, ANAR's directors proposed replacing her as of tomorrow with someone who could also oversee the measures to investigate and sanction locally those responsible for these illegalities. The legal response from within ANAR, from Catalin Caloian, is that there is no other lawful option than to extend Madalina Ion-Duca's mandate. So Catalin Caloian, head of ANAR's legal department, argues that a person who was found to have completely ignored these illegalities is the only person whose mandate can be extended so that she can continue as director of the Olt River Basin Administration,' Buzoianu said.

Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu added that 'favouring people in this way through the use of one's position is further evidence that this institution has been completely politically captured', pointing to PSD representatives at local level and saying 'we can all understand why they are fighting so hard to remain in office'.. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Badea; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)