USR senators Allen Coliban and Mihai Gottiu voted against the government's initiative to disband the National Forest Guard.Today, February 11, the draft law approving the Government Emergency Ordinance no.88/2019 aimed at disbanding forest guards has entered the discussions of the Senate specialty committees.The chairman of the Environment Committee, USR Senator Allen Coliban, thus justified his vote against the measure: "At a time when we need more than ever Efficient forest control structures, the Ministry of environment abolishes the National Forest Guard! I gave a negative opinion in the Senate Environment Committee because the fight against forest crime goes to the territorial structures of the Forest Guard, with problems at this level being reflected in press inquiries such as those published by the Recorder or Rise Project and the control over the Territorial Guards lies with the National Forest Guard.

Coincidentally or not, the measure comes at a time when the National Forest Guard had amplified controls to territorial structures." Mihai Goţiu, member of the Senate Committee on Water and Forests:"I have no way of agreeing to the disbandment of the National Forest Guard, set up following protests to save forests in Romania in spring 2015. You can't say that you strengthen control by disbanding the specialized control structure and moving these tasks into the pen of a politically appointed secretary of state. The tasks and role of the Forest Guard must be strengthened. Yes, it is necessary to evaluate the inspectors in this structure, where there are also people who do their work honestly, and people who have closed their eyes complicit in the forest disaster. I've met from both categories in the many cases I've investigated since I was a senator. But this Emergency Ordinance is harmful, it doesn't solve the problem, it aggravates it, through political centralization." Following arguments put forward by USR senators, the Law adopting OUG 88/2019, which abolished the National Forest Guard, received negative opinions in the Environment and Finance Budget Committees as well as a negative report in the Committee on Water and Forests of the Romanian Senate, to be put to a vote in plenary next week.