#Romania2019.eu/ EnviMin Gavrilescu: EU needs wider range of financial instruments to boost private innovation investment

The European Union (EU) needs a wider range of financial instruments to provide incentives to promote private investment in needed technological innovations, including increased funding for R&D and innovation, Romania's Minister for the Environment Gratiela Gavrilescu said at a joint news conference with European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Policy Miguel Arias Canete, at Parliament Palace in Bucharest. "For this ministerial meeting, we have proposed an agenda of current and major topics for European citizens: climate change, biodiversity and water management. I want to thank European Commissioner for Climate and Energy Policy Miguel Arias Canete for support; I had fruitful discussions during the working sessions that we have just concluded. I also want to thank him for having been with my colleagues over the past five months in the EU Council presidency, as were all the colleagues in the European Commissioner's office (...). On the other hand, each region has its specific socio-economic traits that we need to keep in mind and that we must take into account. The council meeting agreed that we need a wider range of financial instruments at EU level to provide incentives for promoting private investment in necessary technological innovations, including increased funding for R&D and innovation," Gavrilescu said. She added that the debates in Bucharest will draw the guidelines for the European Union Council and, at the same time, strengthen Romania's position both at European and international level. "I am convinced that these debates will draw new guidelines inside the Council of the European Union and will strengthen Romania's position at European and international level. I have discussed with my counterparts the measures to be taken at European and national level to boost the transformation of our style and to create the necessary framework for the transition to a climate-neutral society. It is my priority, as an environmental minister and a European citizen, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How can we do that? We need to consider reducing energy consumption while reducing the use of certain products with a huge carbon footprint. Indirectly, citizens' choices are important to developing a circular economy and new business models that can lead to the creation of new jobs and economic growth. Today's debates have evidenced that we have to include not only the citizen in this process, but to extend it to the whole society: decision-makers and stakeholders," said Gavrilescu. She added that the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union was an opportunity for Romania, and also a responsibility with "concrete results benefitting all European citizens." "Holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time in its European Union history was to Romania a great opportunity as well as a great responsibility. In that respect, we have shown to be involved and earnest in obtaining at the end of these presidency concrete results benefitting all European citizens. I can proudly say that the Romanian presidency has been a success story, something that all my ministerial colleagues who are here today for an informal environment council meeting in Bucharest can confirm," said Gavrilescu. Romania hosts an informal meeting of the European Union environment ministers of the on Monday and Tuesday at Parliament Palace in Bucharest as part of holding the presidency of the EU Council. The event is co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Environment Gratiela Gavrilescu, together with Minister of Waters and Forests Ioan Denes. According to the Romanian Ministry of the Environment, attending the informal meeting will be environmental ministers from the EU member states, EFTA states and EU candidate states, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella, representatives of the General Secretariat of the Council, the executive director of European Environment Agency, and the secretary general of the European Environmental Bureau. On Monday, May 20, 2019, the first working session of the informal meeting included debates on climate change - innovative solutions and the role of citizens towards a low carbon future: how to reap better the opportunities related to lifestyle, circularity, spatial planning. The second working session included debates on IPBES results on Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: implications for the EU and Global Biodiversity Framework post 2020. The meeting continues on May 21 with the third working session on water management - control of water pollution with plastic/microplastic from rivers to seas. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Badea, editor: Oana Tilica; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor; Adina Panaitescu)