The Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) will receive 48.1 million euros for protected areas, fire prevention, and climate change, according to the State Budget proposal for 2027 (OE2027) submitted to Parliament yesterday.
According to the OE2027 proposal, it is foreseen to transfer to the ICNF its own revenues from the Environmental Fund, up to a limit of 48,100,000 euros, for “projects in the domain of protected area management, forest fire prevention” and “other nature conservation projects”.
The allocation, it is added, is also intended for initiatives in the scope of “territorial planning and adaptation to climate change, payments to wildfire squads, forest technical offices, grouping of baldios and others” deemed necessary, to be defined by order of the government member responsible for the environment and climate action.
The amount in the OE2027 proposal is higher than the 44.7 million euros earmarked in the State Budget Law for this year.
In the proposal, the ICNF, as the national forestry authority, should ensure transfers to local municipalities under contracts entered into or to be entered into under the Environmental Fund, but without discrimination of amounts.
In its capacity as the national forestry authority, the ICNF will transfer funds (also without earmarking) to “entities, services and bodies competent in the area of national defense, with a view to covering the costs of surveillance actions and fuel management in forest areas under state management”.
In the accompanying report to the OE2027 proposal, the projects under the ICNF’s responsibility are highlighted, within the scope of the primary structuring network of fuel-management corridors, and the “transformation of the landscape of vulnerable forest territories – integrated landscape management areas and village condominium”.
For entities not integrated into the central administration sector, according to the report, the ICNF should transfer up to 10,300,550 euros in the sphere of local administration.
The Government submitted yesterday to the Assembly of the Republic the State Budget proposal for 2027, ahead of the legal deadline.
The Budget proposal foresees economic growth of 2.3% this year and 2.1% in 2027, with a balanced budget this year and a surplus of 0.1% in 2027.
The proposal will be discussed and voted on in general terms between 27 and 28 October. The final overall vote is scheduled for 24 November, after the detailed debate in the specialized committee.
