The main provisions of the bill concern the creation of two lists—a pan-European list and a national list—to regulate endangered species, as well as a ban on the import, breeding, sale, and release into the wild of plants and animals included on these lists.
As an exception, keeping such species is permitted only for scientific purposes and under isolated conditions.
Liability for violating the provisions of the law is twofold. Fines of up to 5,000 lei are imposed on citizens for violating the rules for handling invasive species or for failing to promptly notify the authorities of their detection.
Fines for public officials range from 30,000 to 50,000 lei, with the possible confiscation and disposal of specimens.
Moldova will establish a national monitoring and information system, managed by the Environmental Protection Agency, which will enable the early detection of invasive species and the prompt implementation of measures to limit their spread.
The Ministry of the Environment also deemed it necessary to clarify that the currently existing “invasive species, which are not part of our ecosystem, entered the country accidentally.” It provides examples: “These include ragweed, the American maple, the tree of heaven, the Colorado potato beetle, the common rat, ticks, and certain species of fish.”
The law does not specify whether fines will also be used to combat already established invasive species.
