Romania is considered to be the country most affected by illegal deforestation in the EU. According to official figures, more than 20 million cubic meters of forest are disappearing in Romania every year (every second tree is logged illegally). For years, critics have accused the Romanian government of not doing enough to combat the "timber mafia." As part of the research, suspected illegal logging in north-eastern Romania was documented. Several EU politicians fear that illegal logging in Romania could increase further this year. Responsible for this is the upcoming super election year 2024 in Romania, in which there are three more elections in addition to the parliamentary elections. "This whole system would not be possible without political backing," says Romanian politician Nicolae Ștefănuță, who represents the Liberals in the European Parliament. "We have to assume that illegal money from forestry could also end up in the campaign coffers." The forthcoming elections could therefore create an incentive to implement even more money. The illegal timber industry is one of the most profitable fields of organized crime worldwide. https://presse.wdr.de/plounge/wdr/programm/2023/03/20230301_greenwashing_holzverbrennung.html