Monika Romenska has held senior positions in public administration, local authorities and industry organisations in Bulgaria. Ms Romenska has extensive experience in local and regional self-government, sustainable development, including waste management (with a focus on packaging), regional development, communication and project management. Since 2014 she has been the Regulatory and Public Affairs Manager of EXPRA (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance) based in Brussels, an organisation that acts as a common policy platform, representing the interests of all 27 member organisations, created and run by responsible producers and aiming at the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.

Francesco Lembo is Deputy Secretary General at ACR+, where he oversees programmes and projects and ensures that strategic plans and realistic objectives are implemented and monitored. Francesco has 15 years of experience in supporting local authorities in planning environmental services and supporting public administrations, SMEs, employers’ associations, NGOs and universities in designing and managing international programmes on lifelong learning and sustainable development. He is currently a member of the steering group of the EU Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform and a technical expert of the Committee of the Regions for opinions on sustainable textiles and the role of cities and regions in the transition to a circular economy. He advocates for the active involvement of citizens in the development of local and EU policies and the dissemination of inclusive educational models, in cooperation with Italian NGOs and within the framework of the European Commission’s awareness campaigns. He has worked with the Italian Ministry of Education and Confindustria, designing training programmes focused on sustainable development and social inclusion. He has written about inclusive pedagogy and the recognition of prior learning, education for the circular economy. Francesco has a BA in contemporary history and a MA in lifelong learning sciences from the University of Bologna.

President of CIROM - The Romanian Cement and Other Mineral Products Industry Employers' Association

Marinela Drăcea graduated from the Traian Vuia Polytechnic Institute, Timișoara, Faculty of Chemical Technology in 1991. She has over 30 years of experience in the cement and lime industry, both in operational activity and in the field of environmental protection, being directly involved in the implementation of environmental policies in cement and lime factories, but also an active participant in the dialogue with stakeholders on issues related to air, water protection, climate change, waste management, renewable energies, products, etc. In 2005, she joined the CIROM team, holding the position of technical director and later executive director. Starting with 2021, she is the President of CIROM and represents the interests of the cement and other construction products industry both nationally and at European level, being a member of CEMBUREAU - European Cement Association.

Stefanie Siebert has been the Executive Director of the European Compost Network (ECN) since 2011 and is responsible for the management of the organisation, the development and implementation of ECN’s strategy and policies. She coordinates ECN’s representation and lobbying activities at European level and represents ECN in several expert groups of the EU Commission, such as the Expert Group on Fertilizers and the Forum on Industrial Emissions Directives. Stefanie is a member of the Technical Committee for Soil Improvement and Growing Media of the European Standardisation Organisation (CEN). As ECN’s Quality Manager, she is responsible for the management of the ECN Quality Assurance Scheme and the author of the ECN Quality Assurance Handbook. Stefanie is a soil researcher and holds a PhD in natural sciences. She has been working in the biowaste management sector since 2000. He was a technical officer of the German humus and substrate industry (VHE), quality manager and European policy advisor of the German Quality Assurance Organization (BGK).

Marius Nistorescu holds a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and a doctorate in ecology. His professional experience in the field of environmental consulting began in 1999, and shortly after, in 2000, he founded EPC Consultanța de mediu together with four other colleagues. During his doctoral studies, Marius was only a collaborator of the company. In 2006, he returned to EPC, taking on the role of General Manager. Marius' main competencies concern the field of ecology and ecological reconstruction, with a focus on environmental impact assessment, appropriate assessment and strategic environmental assessment. In addition to the desire to continuously improve the technical and scientific quality of the company's services, provided by a dedicated team of professionals, Marius is also involved in launching an initiative aimed at bringing together environmental consultants who want to carry out their work in accordance with the Codes of Good Practice.

Florin Răducu Lăzăroiu holds the position of General Manager of Romaqua Group SA, the largest beverage producer in Romania and President of the employers' organization of mineral water bottlers in Romania, APEMIN.

At the European level, he is a member of the board of NMWE (European Association of Mineral Water Bottlers), knowing closely the economic and environmental realities of the national and European mineral water bottling industry.

Florin Răducu Lăzăroiu graduated in Machine Construction Technology from the Technical University of Timisoara.

He has over 30 years of experience in the beverage industry, having been at the helm of Romaqua Group SA since its establishment.

He actively participated in the dialogue with stakeholders on issues related to waste management, renewable energies, and environmental protection.

Cristian Moldovan is the Packaging Recovery Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Romania and has experience in the areas of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability, with a particular focus on circular economy, packaging and packaging waste, as well as the implementation of the return guarantee system. With experience in public administration, he has demonstrated that he can work successfully in the FMCG sector and professional associations.

He is close to academia, with a clear inclination towards international relations and political studies and sociology. He graduated from the Faculty of International Relations and European Studies at the "G.E. Palade" University of Târgu-Mureș; Journalism and Communication at the "Babeș-Bolyai" University of Cluj-Napoca; and Romanian Language and Literature - English Language and Literature at the "G.E. Palade" University of Târgu-Mureș. He holds a Master's degree in Security Studies from the University of Bucharest. He also has a PhD in political sociology from the University of Bucharest and has published a book - The European path of Italy, from Europeanism to Euroscepticism, as well as other academic articles.

Emmanuel Morel is a Senior Environmental Expert at the European Investment Bank.

Mr. Morel has over 25 years of professional experience in institutional strengthening and capacity development of the public sector, in particular in the field of environment. He has been involved as an expert in public procurement (services, works, supply contracts and PPP), fundraising and contract management (FIDIC or equivalent, Public Private Partnership, services...) and water management in Romania, Bulgaria, England, France and Egypt.

Mr. Morel has also supported public authorities in the preparation of Funding Requests and the implementation of water and wastewater projects, participating in the reorganization of public services, prepared over 30 trainings and instructed over 500 employees from local and central authorities.

Raluca Mocanu, Sustainability Leader IKEA Romania, a graduate of the Politehnica University of Bucharest, has ten years of experience in the field of sustainability, with a focus on environmental reporting in the field of extended producer responsibility, fulfilling legal obligations under environmental legislation, regarding waste, emissions, wastewater and since 2020 responsible for the company's non-financial reporting.

One of the responsibilities within the company is promoting the concept of sustainability among colleagues by delivering specialized courses, sustainability tours for external partners, NGOs. "I am glad to see an increased interest from them in this subject, because sustainability is not limited only to aspects related to daily activities at work, but also extends to our behavior in the home environment, in nature or in the communities in which we are.".

Mr. Relu Fenechiu has held the position of COO at Next Generation Technologies S.R.L. since 2019.

He graduated from the Technical University Gh. Asachi, Iași, Faculty of Mechanics and has a Master's degree in Marketing and a Master's degree in "Environmental Economics and Management", as well as doctoral studies in the field of Management.

From 1990 to 2004, he held the position of General Manager of the group of companies "FENE GRUP SA" Iași.

From 2004 to 2014, he was a Deputy in the electoral district no. 24 Iași and held several positions within the parliamentary committees, as well as within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. From 2012 to 2013, he held the position of Minister of Transport in the Government of Romania.

From 2014 to 2019, he was Managing Partner at IBC - Integra Business Consulting S.R.L.

Alexandu Nicola is the Sales Director of Renovatio e-charge, the largest network of electric charging stations in Romania. With over 16 years of experience in sales in the automotive and financial services markets, he joined the Renovatio team from the very beginning, actively contributing to the development of the e-charge network. Alexandru has a deep understanding of the electric vehicle market and the essential strategies for promoting the adoption of e-mobility. As Sales Director within the company, he not only coordinates the team’s efforts to identify and exploit new opportunities to expand the e-charge network, but also dedicates his resources and energy to building and maintaining solid relationships with our partners and customers, actively contributing to a future of emission-free mobility, accessible on a large scale in Romania and the region.

Cornel Eftenoiu is a renewable energy specialist with extensive experience in the field of photovoltaic panels and energy storage solutions. With a solid background in engineering and a passion for sustainable technology, Cornel has dedicated himself to the development and implementation of efficient and environmentally friendly energy solutions.

DARCOM ENERGY SOLUTIONS is one of the leading consulting and execution organizations for on-grid, off-grid and hybrid photovoltaic system solutions.

With a firm commitment to sustainable business practices for the fastest possible transition to a green energy future, Darcom Energy is recognized as a promoter of excellence through the solutions created but also through the actions of educating specialists, having the largest Victron Energy training center in Central and Eastern Europe.

Florin Văduva is the Executive Director of the Romanian Compost Association (ARC), responsible for the management of the association, the development and implementation of the strategy. He is also a founding member of the association and a member of the Board of Directors. He also served as Vice President of ARC. Through the positions held at the organization level, he was involved in the development of the draft law for the management of biodegradable waste. He participated in numerous debates and working groups in which the need to develop and adopt technical norms for Law 181/2020 was highlighted. He has experience in quality management, being involved in the process of quality evaluation and certification. He is an evaluator member of the Romanian Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS), ANACEC – Republic of Moldova and Higher Education Quality Agency Latvia. He was the secretary of the economic commission within ARACIS.

He has a doctorate in management, is an associate professor and has held positions as vice-dean, dean, and member of the university senate. He wrote 8 books and 48 research articles.

Hentiu Ioan-Corneliu graduated from the Technical University of Construction in Bucharest and has a Master's degree in Industrial Hydraulic Installations. He has been part of the INOVECO team since 2007. He was Manager of the Special Works Department, Project Manager for several solid waste management centers and is now a manager in the Agriculture and Environment Technologies Department.

From his position, Mr. Hentiu oversees the company's waste management activities and also has actions in business development and finding new green technologies in waste treatment.

Gabriel Moiceanu is President of the Federation of Intercommunity Development Associations (FADI) and Executive Director of the Intercommunity Development Association Servsal Argeș. Mr. Moiceanu has over 30 years of experience in the field of public services and 15 years in integrated waste management.

Together with FADI members, he has been actively involved in promoting the interests of the Intercommunity Development Associations, which represent over 2,900 member territorial administrative units, as well as in the development of integrated waste management systems at county level. FADI, as a professional association, has been and is an active dialogue partner for central and local authorities, being present in working groups whose activity has resulted in proposals for improving waste legislation. The exchange of experience and good practices has taken place within the framework of over 35 conferences and public events on the topic of municipal waste management, as well as within the 7 working groups organized within the federation.

"I hope that the forum will provide us with the perfect platform for communication at a professional level, both with specialists from Romania and from other countries."