To be eligible under the scheme, beneficiaries must meet the following eligibility conditions at the time of submitting the application for support:

• provide proof of ownership and use of the land on which the investment is proposed, for a period of at least 20 years;

• if the user of the land suitable for afforestation is a person different from the land owner, then the documents proving the right to use the land (lease, concession contracts, etc. according to art. 5 of MARD Order no. 45/2021 for the approval of the eligibility criteria, specific conditions and the method of implementation of the payment schemes provided for in art. 1 para. (2) and (3) and art. 35 para. (3) of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 11/2021 for the approval of the payment schemes and of some guarantee instruments that apply in agriculture in 2021 and 2022, with subsequent amendments and completions) will be submitted, which will explicitly state that the respective lands are intended for afforestation, as well as the duration of land use of at least 20 years. Applicants are solely responsible for the purpose and continuity of validity of the documents regarding the right to use the land;

• to submit the requested documents proving the beneficiary category according to the state aid scheme;

• the applicant must not be in the following situations starting from the date of submission of the support application, during the verification and contracting period:

  • Insolvent, according to Law No. 85/2014 on insolvency procedure, as amended and supplemented, as the case may be;

  • in a state of bankruptcy/ insolvency or subject to a liquidation or judicial administration procedure, has entered into agreements with creditors, within the framework of the aforementioned procedures, has suspended its economic activity or is subject to a procedure following these situations or in similar situations following a procedure of the same nature provided for by national legislation or regulations;

  • Be subject to legal proceedings for declaring itself in one of the situations in the first point;

  • Be liable to pay taxes, fees and social security contributions to the component budgets of the general consolidated budget and the local budget in accordance with the legal provisions in force in Romania;

  • Be found guilty, by a final court decision, of committing a fraud/crime relating to the obtaining and use of European funds and/or national public funds related to them, in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Code approved by Law no. 286/2009, as subsequently amended and supplemented;

  • Not having the technical and administrative capacity to implement the project;

  • Be subject to a recovery order following a decision declaring aid as illegal and incompatible with the internal market that has not already been executed and the debt has not been fully recovered;

  • Be found guilty, in the activity carried out prior to the start of the project, by a final court decision of environmental crimes.

• the applicant undertakes to ensure the maintenance of the investment for a period of at least 20 years from the establishment of the plantation.

Conditions regarding the eligibility of land:

• The essential condition for a land to be eligible under the scheme is that the land in question is suitable for afforestation. The suitability of a land for afforestation is considered to be met if the land in question has been included in a technical project through which a technical afforestation solution has been established and has an area of ​​at least 0.5 ha in the case of forest bodies or protective forest curtains with an area of ​​at least 0.1 ha;

• The land proposed for afforestation must be located in areas exposed/vulnerable to climate risks. This aspect will be taken into account and assumed by the applicant at the time of introducing the surface contour into the application which will subsequently be justified by the designer within the technical project.