Law no. 217/2016 on food waste reduction (the “Law”) has entered into force on 21 May 2017. The Government has yet to approve the methodological norms to the Law (Romanian language: normele metodologice de aplicare) which are indispensable for the application of its provisions. A draft of such methodological norms (“Draft Methodological Norms”) has been published on 12 May 2017, on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (”MADR”) website for public consultation.
However, MADR published on 22 May 2017 a press release informing that following the public debates that took place with respect to the Draft Methodological Norms, MADR proposes the postponement of the term for full application of the Law (including the enactment of methodological norms) until 31 December 2017 by means of a Government Emergency Ordinance (“Postponement Ordinance”). We note that until the Postponement Ordinance is issued, the Law is technically in force, although it is not applicable de facto in the absence of its methodological norms.
A short analysis of the main provisions of Law as well as of the Draft Methodological Norms can be found here.