The Bucharest General Council has unanimously approved an implementation protocol for the Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt on Thursday, October 30, marking a key step toward integrating nature and sustainable development across the capital region. The protocol, signed between the City Hall, represented by city manager Lucian Judele, and the Green Belt Foundation (Fundația Centura Verde), represented by Alex Găvan, moves the long-discussed environmental initiative from legislative planning to practical execution.
The next stage involves drafting the Operational Plan for the Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt, which will define ecological reconnection routes, areas for new forest plantings, and a detailed implementation timeline.
According to the signed protocol, a Coordination Committee will oversee the project’s strategic direction, while a Technical Working Group will ensure expert input on urban planning, forestry, and environmental aspects. The plan will also include public consultations and identify funding sources from both public and private sectors, among others.
The project was initiated by environmentalist and mountaineer Alex Găvan, founder of the Together for the Green Belt Civic Platform, which unites over 150 NGOs, civic groups, and public figures. The initiative was born in the spring of 2023 amid the alarming pollution levels in Bucharest and other cities in the country, combined with the concerning deforestation around the capital and other peri-urban areas.
Following Thursday’s vote, Găvan said this is a public health initiative and “the largest green infrastructure project in the country, a true national undertaking, developed in Bucharest–Ilfov and around Romania’s cities, designed to have a systemic impact on the lives of more than 10 million people – over half of the population.”
In his turn, interim mayor Stelian Bujduveanu described the move as a “historic step for Bucharest’s green future,” noting the collaboration between civil society and local authorities.
“The General Council adopted the protocol that allows the project to move from the legislative to the operational phase. […] It’s a moment a city cannot afford to miss,” Bujduveanu said in a Facebook post.
Prime minister Ilie Bolojan also expressed support for the initiative through Oana Cambera, state adviser in the Prime Minister’s Chancellery and co-initiator of the initial Green Belt law, which was introduced in the new Forestry Code in 2024. “I welcome the transition of the Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt project from legislation to implementation – an important step toward healthier, safer, and more resilient cities,” the message said.
In addition, environment minister Diana Buzoianu, who has also been a co-initiator of the law, praised the move, recalling that the Green Belt concept was first introduced in Parliament two years ago, alongside Florin Stoican, Oana Cambera, Alex Gǎvan, and Daniel Sărdan.
“The City Hall has now taken an essential step toward putting these provisions into practice,” she said, adding that the Environment Ministry has already started work on national regulations for urban green belts, expected to be completed by early 2026.
The Bucharest–Ilfov Green Belt has been planned to serve as a pilot project for similar initiatives across Romania, aiming to integrate natural ecosystems into urban planning and improve air quality, biodiversity, and residents’ quality of life.
Following legal changes introduced in the new Forestry Code, 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.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Facebook/Stelian Bujduveanu)
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