The Impact of National and EU Legislative Framework on the Illegal Exploitation of Forests in Romania. A Managerial Cause – Effect Approach

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Abstract This paper aims to analyse the evolution of the legal framework of forests exploitation in Romania by analysing regulatory legal acts since 1853 until the new Forest Code in 2013 which is still in public debate. Both new Forest Code and the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) aim to stop forest mafia through changes of principle operating system. The new Forest Code disengages the transport activity from the exploitation of the wood, leading to the elimination of tax evasion (grey market) in which retailers was active. Under EUTR, is prohibited the placing on the EU market of illegally harvested timber and derived products. The Regulation applies to wood and wood products first placed on the EU market. This counters the timber trade and illegally harvested timber products requiring key obligations discussed in these article. It was also performed a comparative analysis of the old Romanian Forest Code of 2008 with a proposal for a new Forest Code in April 2014, whose changes can lead to stopping illegal logging and more effective control of the quantities transported and processed wood. A forest policy accepted by all national political entities is the expansion of forest through planting of degraded land to achieve in a period of 20 years, the European average in terms of area covered by forests. This objective is achievable through considerable financial efforts. Trends, conclusions and proposals are improving Romanian and European legislation.