The National Institute of Justice and EcoContact continue the series of activities dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair and effective environmental justice. During 18-21 July 2022, a group of NIJ trainers and representatives of environmental authorities participated in the summer school with the generic "Protection regime of protected areas: aspect of investigation and examination of environmental crimes".
Representatives of partner institutions and official guests opened the training program: Mr. Vasile Melnic, Head of Cabinet, Ministry of the Environment, Ms. Ecaterina Popa, ad interim Director, National Institute of Justice, Ms. Cristina Rotaru-Radu, Director, National Institute of Magistracy from Romania, Mrs. Viorica Bîscă, Executive Director, Administration of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. The speakers mentioned the importance of correlating the normative and procedural framework in the field of environmental law and the development of the capacity to apply the rules in order to reduce the commission of environmental offences and their correct application in the investigation and examination procedures of the cases.
The event took place in Tulcea, Romania, with the participation of experts from Romania and Moldova: Dr. Remus Jurj, Professor at the Maritime University of Constanța, Dr. Vasile Drăghici, Professor, prosecutor at the Prosecutor's Office of the Constanța Court of Appeal, Mr. Victor Dumneanu, Deputy Head of the Inspectorate for environmental protection, Republic of Moldova and Dorin Poverjuc, Deputy Director of the Moldsilva Agency, as well as NIJ trainers in the targeted segment.
The subjects addressed by the Moldovan and Romanian experts during the training sessions concerned the regulations and classification of state-protected areas in the Republic of Moldova, the practical aspects regarding the detection and investigation of environmental contraventions and offences in protected areas according to Romanian and Moldovan legislation, the presentation of the Council of Europe HELP course "Environment and human rights", piloted by the National Institute of Justice, etc.
At the same time, the participants had the opportunity to visit the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, being also interested in the practical side of the on-site investigation in the case of the commission of contraventions and ecological crimes.
AO EcoContact and the National Institute of Justice organized the summer school, in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment, within the project "A green justice for a protected environment and sustainable communities in the Republic of Moldova", coordinated by Ms. Tatiana Echim, Project Manager, and implemented with the support of Sweden.
