Environment Minister Tanchos Barna said on Tuesday that it was unacceptable for Romsilva to oppose sports activities in the forest, given the information that the institution would plow some paths in the forest of Benyas, where the cycling competition was to take place.

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Tanchos Barna considers it unacceptable that Romsilva showed the route where the First Escape competition will take place

The minister considers it inadmissible for someone to put sticks in the wheels of a public organization that has been organizing competitions there for several years.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Environment Minister Tanchos Barna was asked if he knew that Romsilva Ilfov had plowed several trails in the Benyas forest where an international cycling competition was to be held, News.ro reported.

“I promised that I would go to the track this morning and have a look. Yesterday it rained heavily and you can’t ride a bike. We postponed the departure to Thursday.

On Thursday from 15:00 to 19:00 I will be in the forest of Baneas to see for myself what is happening there. It is unacceptable that Romsilva, regardless of which forestry, from which county, opposes sports and recreational activities in the forest,” he answered. Tanchos Barna.

He assesses that “it is unacceptable for someone to intentionally put a stick in the wheels of a public organization that has been organizing such competitions there for years.”

“It is also undesirable that there has been a permanent and very ugly conflict for years, as far as I understand that I did not know about this conflict between individuals and institutions, public organizations, it is unacceptable to have such a conflict between a state institution and a public organization that ultimately wants something beautiful, fair , sports competitions in the forest.

Also, those who organize such competitions must understand that certain rules must be followed in the forest, and I am convinced that we will find a middle ground. I will deal with it personally.

Also, I specifically asked them last week not to touch the track. I will go the day after tomorrow to see exactly what the situation is, because today and tomorrow we are involved in many discussions related to the activities of the ministry and not only,” the Minister of Ecology also stated.

Tanchos Barna was asked if he thought the forest could suffer from such competition.

“It was not the forest that suffered. Unfortunately, the good intentions of some suffered. At the same time, it is necessary to determine ways of cooperation in the medium and long term. I’ve been on trails and paths like this before.

I really like to walk in the forest, run in the forest, less often on a bicycle, but I really like to run and every week I run whole kilometers through the forest, forest roads or paths.

It’s an incredible feeling and I recommend everyone to do the same, go to the forest, feel good, do sports in the forest. And if there are people in the National Directorate of Forests who do not understand this, they should change their mentality.

The forest is also for those who come to relax, all citizens of this country have the right to clean air, and the National Directorate of Forests should go through a process of change from this point of view as well,” he said. Tanchos Barna.

The absurd situation happened in a forest near Bucharest, where “the biggest international cycling competition in Eastern Europe with thousands of participants” is to be held, climber and athlete Alex Gevan reports.

He accuses Romsilva Ilfov of setting up a plow and plowing one of the paths in the forest where the competition was to take place.

The First Escape has reached its 15th edition, which will take place on May 21, 2023.

What do the sections of the route look like, where First Escape 2023 will take place