Romania has been granted a transition period by the European Commission for certain “investment-heavy” environmental Directives which are discussed in section 2.1. The purpose of the transition period is to enable Romania to complete implementation of certain obligations at a post-accession date.
The following table lists the directives for which transition periods have been granted:
Article 5(3)(a) bans liquid waste from being landfilled, but this will be allowed until 2013 in certain specified landfills. Similarly, Article 5(3)(b) bans waste having certain properties (corrosive and oxidising) from being landfilled, but this will be allowed until 2013 in certain specified landfills. Annex I point 2 second indent requires the prevention of surface water from entering landfilled waste. However, until 2013, this provision will not be enforced in 23 facilities for hydro-transportation of non-hazardous waste and in 5 tailing ponds.
Article 14(c) requires the necessary works to be taken in accordance with the conditioning plan to ensure all existing municipal landfills comply with the Directive by 16 July 2009. However, the transition period allows 101 existing municipal non-hazardous waste landfills until 16 July 2017 to reach compliance. Interim milestones have been set. Also points 2 (on water control and leachate management), 3 (on protection of soil and water), 4 (on gas control) and 6 (on stability) of Annex 1 will not apply fully to 101 municipal non-hazardous waste landfills until 16 July 2017.
31 December 2013 is the deadline for the overall target of 60% for energy recovery by utilization or incineration at waste incineration plants, the overall recycling target of 55%, the 22.5% recycling target for plastics and the 60% recycling target for glass
Directive 91/271/EEC on urban waste water treatment
31 Dec 2018
The transition period granted provides Romania with a period of time to gradually bring both its collecting systems and its urban waste water treatment facilities in line with the Directive.
Under article 3, the collecting systems of agglomerations in excess of 10 000 l.e. (i.e. 61.9% of the total biodegradable load) must become compliant by 31 December 2013.
The collecting systems of agglomerations of less and 10 000 l.e. (i.e. 38.1% of the total biodegradable load) must become compliant by 31 December 2018.
Pursuant to articles 4 and 5, the treatment and disposal of urban waste water must become compliant by 31 December 2015 for urban aggomerations in excess of 10 000 l.e. (i.e. 61.9% of the total biodegradable load), and by 31 December 2018 in urban agglomerations of less than 10 000 l.e. (i.e. 38.1% of the total biodegradable load).
