Doina Pana, the minister in charge of waters and forests in Romania’s Government, announced her resignation yesterday due to health problems. She said she would remain a member of the Romanian Parliament.

Doina Pana has served as minister of waters and forests in the Mihai Tudose cabinet from June 30, 2017. She held the same position in the Victor Ponta cabinet between March and December 2014.

In a report attached to her resignation letter, Pana wrote that she fulfilled her mission and managed to reduce illegal logging in Romania. She presented her main achievements, namely the Forest Radar, the 112 alert system for illegal wood transports, and the new Forestry Code, which have led to a drop in illegal logging from some 8.8 million cubic meters of wood, in 2014, to some 0.4 million cubic meters in 2017. She also pointed out that because of the Forest Radar, which doesn’t allow the purchase of timber resulted from illegal logging, Romania has turned from a timber exporter into an importer.

Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea also praised Doina Pana for her achievements and said that her replacement would be decided by the party’s National Executive Committee. Meanwhile, PSD executive president Niculae Badalau said that the Waters and Forests Ministry may merge with the Environment Ministry.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Pana Doina on Facebook)