Starting with July 3, 2019, the Order of the Ministry of Environment no. 572/2019 for submitting declarations regarding the obligations to the Environmental Fund through electronic means of distance transmission is in force. The normative act regulates the way in which taxpayers can submit declarations to the AFM using the electronic signature.
1. What kind of electronic signature can I use for online submission of statements to the Environment Fund?
According to Order no. 572/2019, the signing of the declarations regarding the obligations to the Environmental Fund is made by using a qualified electronic signature based on a qualified certificate issued by a qualified trusted service provider, accredited in accordance with the Regulation (EU) eIDAS no. 910/2014 regarding electronic identification and reliable services for electronic transactions on the internal market (art.3, paragraph 2).
certSIGN, as a Qualified Trusted Provider (QTSP), offers qualified electronic signature kits with 1, 2 or 3 years validity, including:
• qualified digital certificate;
• the clickSIGN signing application;
• secure signature creation device;
• the costs of delivering the certificate by courier.
2. Who can submit statements to the AFM online?
The statements regarding the obligations to the Environmental Fund can be submitted online by the following authorized persons:
• legal representative, holder of a qualified electronic signature;
• the authorized representative of the legal representative, holder of a qualified electronic signature.
In order to use the dedicated IT platform, it is necessary to submit a registration application (and a notarial declaration in the case of the legal representative).
Careful! If the registered person expires the validity of the qualified certificate, it will be renewed with a new qualified certificate for electronic signature, which will be issued by a qualified trusted service provider.
3. Is it mandatory to submit statements online to the AFM?
Submitting declarations regarding obligations to the Environmental Fund through electronic means of distance transmission is an alternative method of submitting them in physical format.
Compared to the obvious advantages of opting for this method (legal value, security, time savings, operational cost reduction), it should be kept in mind that the same electronic signature can be used in many other situations such as online filing of tax returns with ANAF, participation in electronic auctions in the SEAP / SICAP system, signing contracts with business partners, signing electronic invoices or in internal processes such as HR (signing employment contracts).