Centura Verde Foundation and the Bucharest City Hall announced the entry of the Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt project into its operational phase following the signing of the implementation protocol. The agreement represents a key step toward creating a natural buffer zone around Romania’s capital to improve air quality, protect biodiversity, and support sustainable urban development.
The protocol will be included on the agenda of the Bucharest General Council meeting at the end of October and will then be signed by the city manager, according to the Centura Verde/Green Belt Foundation. Once adopted, it will guide the drafting and implementation of the Operational Plan for the Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt.
The initiative will be developed in cooperation with the Ilfov County Council and other public authorities, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector, according to the press release.
The announcement was made during the Climate Change Summit held at the Palace of Parliament on Tuesday, October 21, during a session dedicated to the Green Belt initiative. The event was attended by Bucharest city manager Lucian Judele, state adviser Oana Cambera, and Alex Găvan, president of the Centura Verde Foundation and founder of the Împreună pentru Centura Verde/Together for the Green Belt civic platform.
In a message delivered at the summit, president Nicușor Dan reaffirmed his support for the project, describing climate action as “a strategic investment in our collective security, health, and prosperity.” As mayor of Bucharest in 2023, he had signed the original memorandum that set the foundation for the Green Belt initiative.
“Bucharest is a dynamic city, a city that is changing, a city full of opportunities, but it needs a Green Belt. Experts tell us that the best solutions are natural ones. I would add that they are also the most efficient and easiest to implement. Imagine how Bucharest will look in the future, when its forests, lakes, and meadows form a Green Belt around the city,” said Lucian Judele.
He also added that he would ensure that, by the end of October, the protocol would be on the agenda of the Bucharest General Council, voted on, and, together with the Ilfov County Council, turned into reality.
In her turn, Oana Cambera, state adviser in the prime minister’s office, stated: “The Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt has never been an abstract project, but a concrete one, about people’s lives and their quality of life, and its implementation can bring countless benefits for the city and its residents. The efforts surrounding the Green Belt are an inspiring example for all of us, showing how civil society, experts, the legislative branch, and executive authorities can work together to turn an aspiration into reality – through legislation and implementation.”
Centura Verde Foundation president Alex Găvan called the Green Belt “the oxygen mask of the capital and its metropolitan area,” adding: “By signing this protocol, we are moving from vision and political and administrative consensus to concrete executive action.”
At the same time, Ciprian Gălușcă, the foundation’s executive director, noted that Bucharest must “align with major European capitals investing in green infrastructure critical for climate adaptation and public health.”
The video recording of the announcement at the Climate Change Summit is available here.
Initiators say the Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt has been designed as a public health and green infrastructure project, aimed at improving air quality, reducing emissions, mitigating urban heat and extreme weather effects, increasing forested areas, and protecting biodiversity. It will also promote sustainable urban planning, boost local tourism, and encourage environmentally friendly mobility.
Following legal changes introduced in the new Forestry Code in 2024, green belts have been recognized at the national level, and the forests surrounding Bucharest have regained their social and protective role. Thus, all roughly 26,000 hectares of forest in Ilfov county have been placed under protection, with only maintenance or ecological restoration interventions permitted. These forests form the foundation of the future Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt.
The Together for the Green Belt civic platform, initiated by the Centura Verde Foundation, unites over 150 NGOs, civic groups, and public figures in a nonpartisan effort to promote environmental protection and sustainable development.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Centura Verde Foundation; credit: Alex Domnișoru/Fotografultau.ro)
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