Romania infrastructure: Highway progress and environmental policy updates

Romania is seeing significant progress and political debate regarding major infrastructure projects. Construction on the Sibiu-Pitești highway has reached 40% physical progress on Section 2, with work continuing on tunnels and viaducts. However, Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu has accused Sorin Grindeanu of spreading misinformation regarding environmental permits, noting that a new permit is required due to a route modification requested by CNAIR.

Other highway developments include the A1 Lugoj-Deva sector, which is 80% complete, and the A7 Bacău-Pașcani highway, where Lot 3 has exceeded 55% progress. The A7 project includes the construction of Romania’s first turbine interchange at Pașcani. Meanwhile, CNAIR lost a legal battle against a Bulgarian contractor regarding a 43 million lei penalty on the A7 Ploiești-Buzău lot.

In environmental management, the government approved the 2026 budget for Romsilva, projecting a profit of over 105 million lei. The budget includes 24.4 million lei for equipping forest rangers with body cameras and GPS systems to combat illegal logging. Additionally, the ‘Mineral Aggregate Radar’ platform is 95% complete and is expected to be operational by October 26 to track the traceability of sand and gravel transports.