The bill to recognize a public necessity of national importance for works on the development of regional waste management infrastructure was passed in the first reading by 67 votes at the session of Parliament on Thursday, May 7.
The new provisions provide for a clear definition of land plots and zones required for the construction of transfer stations and waste disposal centers, including sanitary protection zones. In this regard, the government will be empowered to initiate procedures of forced alienation (expropriation) of immovable property located in the project areas.
Questions to the expropriation procedures
The mechanism of accelerated implementation raised questions related to the protection of private property. MP Vasile Tarlev drew attention to the significant number of legislative exceptions provided for in the document.
“With the attraction of investments and the adoption of relevant decisions, excessive deviations from the general legislation should not be allowed. The draft under consideration, which I have studied, contains many exceptions to the law, which may violate the right of ownership. Considering that the state authorities already have broad powers, why are we introducing so many exceptions in terms of expropriation?” – Tarlev stated.
Government officials point out that the standard procedures take too long. Grigore Stratulat, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, explained that the owners will be compensated according to the law:
“We have to take into account the interests of all parties: the residents whose plots are to be expropriated, but who are also demanding answers from the ministry – when the waste management infrastructure will finally appear, when places will be created where garbage will go and where it will not pollute fields, forests and hills. We have to consider the interests of all stakeholders in the process. We are not saying that there will not be fair and prior compensation. Construction work will be carried out in parallel with the expropriation procedure,” said Stratulat.
Compensation for the expropriation, as well as the costs of cadastral works and property valuation will be covered from the state budget.
To prevent the loss of funds
The initiators emphasize that the measures are necessary for the timely start of investments. Otherwise, there is a risk of blocking the works and losing external funding from international partners, including the European Union, the EBRD and the World Bank.
Veronika Brichag, member of the Parliamentary Commission on Environment, Climate and Green Transition, said:
“We are informing land owners in advance and ensuring fair compensation based on legitimate valuation. Without these measures in the new project, we could lose external funding from partners and end up for another 10-15 years in this quagmire and toxic model.”
The initiative seeks to balance the public interest – developing environmental infrastructure and reducing pollution across the country.
“Today we already have land plots for transloading stations in all districts and for waste disposal centers,” said MP Sergiu Lazarencu, a former environment minister, offering applause to the mayors who “crossed ideological barriers.”
The document will be considered in the second reading.
