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Building Fair Communities: Local Dialogue and Solutions for Communities in Romania, Bucharest, 26 May 2026

Updated: 2 days ago

The National Union of County Councils of Romania (UNCJR) organized, on May 26, 2026, in Bucharest, the workshop “Building Fair Communities: Local Dialogue and Solutions for Communities in Romania”, held within the framework of the European project Active Cities – Fair Cities. The event brought together representatives of local public administration, experts, specialists, and stakeholders involved in sustainable development and the green transition.



The workshop aimed to strengthen local dialogue on a fair green transition, present the preliminary results of the consultation carried out among County Councils in Romania, and identify concrete directions for action towards more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

The event was opened by Sorin Munteanu, general director of UNCJR, who emphasized the importance of citizen involvement in transforming local communities:

The green transition cannot be achieved only through public policies, but through the real involvement of people and by building communities where sustainable development responds to citizens’ needs.

During the session dedicated to county-level analysis, Sirma Caraman, deputy general director of UNCJR, presented the main conclusions of the consultation conducted between May 7 and May 22, 2026, involving representatives from 20 County Councils across Romania, with a total of 47 responses collected.

The results highlighted that approximately 78% of respondents stated that their institutions are implementing or developing initiatives related to the green transition;

most local administrations consider that vulnerable groups are included, at least partially, in green transition policies; citizen involvement through public consultations and local dialogue is becoming an increasingly important component of the decision-making process.

The green transition must be both sustainable and fair. Local communities need policies built on territorial realities and on people’s actual needs, she noted.

An important moment of the event was the presentation of Dr. Eng. Dan Rădulescu, CPSWQ, on sustainable urban stormwater management through green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The presentation highlighted the effects of climate change on cities and the need to adapt urban infrastructure to emerging climate challenges.

He highlighted that "Extreme climate events are no longer exceptions, but the new urban reality. Cities must move from exclusively technical solutions to approaches inspired by nature and resilience".

The debate session “From Analysis to Action”, moderated by Mihai Calotă, legal director of UNCJR, facilitated dialogue among participants regarding local priorities and challenges in the green transition process.

During the interactive session conducted through the Slido platform, participants were invited to prioritise the main development directions for local communities.

The results showed that 59% of participants consider the expansion of urban green spaces to be the most important measure that should be implemented immediately in communities; European funding was considered the most important factor for a successful green transition; the concept of the “sponge city” and nature-based solutions were perceived as the most relevant for the future of communities; climate change adaptation and the development of sustainable infrastructure were identified as key priorities for the next five years.

At the end of the event, Ionela Stoian, director for training and communication for local and central public authorities within UNCJR, presented the next steps of the Fair Cities project and opportunities for local involvement.



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