This article is a translation of the article published by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova. Read the original Romanian article here.

On 16 April, the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Moldova, Sergiu Lazarencu met with Alexander Zinke from the Austrian Environment Agency, coordinator of the "EU4Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data" programme.

During the discussions, a number of activities carried out with the support of the "EU4Environment-Water Resources and Environmental Data" programme were reviewed. At the same time, Minister Lazarencu mentioned that sustainable management of water resources is a priority for the Moldovan government.

"In the context of the opening of EU accession negotiations, the alignment of national legislation with the provisions of EU directives is no longer just an option, but becomes an imperative. We have to recognize that Moldova is iat a stage where we need support and to adopt good practices from developed countries, such as Austria", said the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Moldova.

Particular attention was paid to the problem of insufficient staff at the Moldovan Environment Agency's water quality laboratory, and solutions to this challenge were discussed, such as reviewing recruitment policies, addressing salary issues and working with academic institutions or international agencies to provide the necessary expertise and training.

Alexander Zinke, for his part, pointed out that the Austrian Environment Agency will continue to support the Republic of Moldova in its efforts to strengthen its capacities and fulfil its responsibilities on the road to EU accession.

Pictures: Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova.