Lead and supporting government bodies:
The Ministry of Environment set up a Sustainable Directorate in 2007.
An Inter-Ministerial Committee was set up in 2011, including deputy ministers and directors-general of all ministries. It was chaired by the Minister for the Environment. It was responsible for discussing national positions and the mandate on SD for the High-level Political Forum, while it contributed to the CSD Matrix and is also in charge of drafting the Voluntary National Review.
The Government of Romania established a Department for Sustainable Development in the Prime Minister's Office in 2017 (Decision 313/2017). It has as main responsibility the coordination of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at national level. It also dealt with the process of reviewing the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of Romania 2030.
The Government of Romania established the Interdepartmental Committee for Sustainable Development, comprising members of the government and chaired by the Prime-Minister, in 2019 (Decision 272/2019), which took over the responsibilities of the Inter-Ministerial Committee related to sustainable development.
Strategic framework:
Romania adopted a "National Sustainable Development Strategy 2013-2020-2030" in 2008. This strategy recommends the establishment of mechanisms for civil society engagement to monitor implementation. Its overarching goal is to incorporate SD principles in all Romanian policy in the short term and get significantly close to the average performance of EU members by 2030.
The government's "National Action Plan 2016 - 2018" was developed with Agenda 2030 in mind, and its commitments firmly reflect the SDGs.
The government has adopted a new SD Strategy 2030 in November 2018 after engaging in a wide consultation of civil society, notably through national and regional conferences.
Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals:
In 2016 Romania described its Agenda 2030 priorities as follows at the HLPF:
- ensure national ownership
- establish cross-sectoral mechanisms in government
- develop broad coalitions engaging civil society
- promote peaceful and democratic societies in development cooperation
- reorient national economy to available resources for sustainability
The Romanian parliament adopted a declaration on SDGs on the 21 of April 2016 which recommends:
- establishing a horizontal SD agency at PM level
- updating the NSDS to include Agenda 2030 & Paris agreement
- engaging civil society informally
- developing national indicators
The holistic approach of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Romania 2030 requires a change in the institutional framework to ensure a successful implementation. The Strategy calls for the establishment of:
- the Interdepartmental Committee for Sustainable Development headed by the Prime Minister.
- an Advisory Council on Sustainable Development, composed of a group of specialists from academia, research institutes, and civil society. This Council will track the effects of sustainable development public policy to ensure evidence-based policy.
- Sustainable Development hubs in every relevant public institution which will be formed out of “Experts in Sustainable Development.”
The Strategy also calls for the establishment of a Coalition for Sustainable Development formed out of representatives from Civil Society.
The Department of Sustainable Development is currently working on an Action Plan for implementing the Strategy. This Action Plan will take into consideration all proposals received during the Strategy’s drafting process and is meant to guide public policy.
