The Minister of the Environment conditions the approval of the Romsilva budget on “a critical investment for the safety of foresters”
The Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests, Diana Buzoianu, said on TVR Info that she will not agree with this year's budget of the Romsilva National Forestry Authority if it does not also include funds for video cameras that the foresters can wear during their work.
“For bodycams, I tell you very clearly: if I will be the Minister of the Environment when the Romsilva budget is approved, I will not approve a budget that does not include the money necessary for bodycams. It's very simple, because we need this investment. They are trying to turn it around on all sides, that they need it, that they don't need it, let's see… It's very simple, it's a critical investment for the safety of foresters”, he declared Diana Buzoianu, quoted by News.ro.
The minister explained that the general director of the directorate held the position of investment director for 15 years, during which time Romsilva built a luxury hotel in Bucharest, but without finding the source for the bodycams needed “for bona fide foresters who are harassed and threatened in the field”.
“Because if you wear a bodycam, it doesn't only help those who are harassed, it also stops those who are corrupt. This is actually the problem, a calculation in which, so far, in Romsilva, the part that did not want the good interest of the forests has actually won. What do I mean by this? We still have leverage in the ministry. That's why I said that, at least this year, the necessary money will be introduced very clearly for bodycams”, emphasizes Buzoianu.
Asked if, in her opinion, corruption is high in Romsilva, Diana Buzoianu answered that not all employees of the Directorate are corrupt, some even reporting corruption situations.
“In Romsilva, 14,000 people work. Of these 14,000 people, there are a lot of people of good faith. I spoke to foresters who came and told me: “You have to remove the dead people from here because we can no longer breathe, we can no longer do our work. We, those who want to do our work, are marginalized. We are threatened that a needle will be found in our cobweb. We we are threatened that, yes, but you see, when you enter the forest, it is important that someone supports you and someone defends you”. I actually had foresters who came to tell me how they were practically threatened”, answered Buzoianu.
These foresters need bodycams and not just bodycams, they need a system in which Romsilva can protect them, for these people we have to fight because they are the antibodies in the institution
Diana Buzoianu, Minister of the Environment
He also says that he sees no reason why this year Romsiva should not buy these video cameras to equip the foresters.
