VOICE OF THE STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN MITIGATING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN ROMANIA

Abstract

Environmental protection is one of the core societal issues that the European Union has taken the global lead in tackling. In doing so, it relies not only on macro instruments (such as Environmental Action Plans or Multilateral Environmental Agreements), but also on national and micro-level partners (such as local administration, businesses, civil society and individual citizens). The current paper seeks to collect and disseminate ideas on solving ardent environmental issues, as they are expressed in a focus group involving students with diverse academic backgrounds (but specialized in the study of EU integration and environmental policies). The results suggest that pollution problems are significantly more present in urban areas of Romania and that the respondents were better acquainted of environmental problems that they face in their day-to-day lives. “Education” and “Public administration” proved to be the two central pillars on which innovative solutions for environmental problems could be designed and successfully implemented, in the views of the respondents.

Keywords

• eu policies
• environmental issues
• urban pollution
• public administration
• environmental education