World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water. Water is a key asset also in the six Eastern Partner (EaP) countries of the European Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus[1], Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine’s. Their water resources are experiencing increasing pressures, not least because of climate change. Industry, energy, agriculture and households, among others, all use freshwater resources. Effective water management is fundamental for economic resilience, people’s well-being and sustainable livelihoods. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted water’s significant role in ensuring health.

To support the EaP countries to address their water challenges the European Union launched in January 2022 a new programme EU4Environment - Water and Data in Eastern Partner Countries. The Programme contributes to sustainable water resources management and policy development, sound environmental statistics and open data. Following up on the comprehensive EU support provided in the scope of the European Water Initiative Plus (EUWI+) and the Shared Environmental Information System Phase II, the new programme focuses on updating and reinforcing the capacity of water management agencies and laboratories and of environmental data producers in the partner countries. 

COVID monitoring in wastewater

The management of the pandemic continues to be a real challenge worldwide and for Eastern Partner countries. A tried and approved method to monitor the incidence of COVID-19 infections in a timely manner can help to maintain an overview of the pandemic development and plan timely response measures.

Subsequent to various aid provided from the European Union since 2020, the new offer is to set up in each country the new surveillance of virus in urban wastewater that has become standard across the EU member states. This can become an important method for early monitoring of infections and subsequent increase of health protection, or targeted or a reduced local health restrictions based on virus loads. In the framework of EU4Environment – Water and Data, knowledge and experience on this specific monitoring will be transferred into a pilot exercise in the Republic of Moldova.

 The regional and national kick off meetings of the new Programme in February and March 2022 showed a very high interest of competent Government bodies and relevant stakeholders from the water use sectors, IFIs and the donor community, academia and civil society. Countries are eager to make use of EU support in policy reforms, river basin management and environmental data collection as a basis for decision-making and public engagement . Over the next few months, the programme will discuss with countries the strategic priorities to develop the work plans.

The programme in a nutshell

Within the EU4Environment – Water and Data programme, strategies for the protection and careful use of water in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus[2], Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine will be further developed and prepared for implementation in the period 2022-2024. The basis for these strategies are the Sustainable Development Goals, international agreements such as the Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health and the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive.

The Programme will also support strengthening environmental information on waste, land use, agriculture, air and water quality and improve access to this data for decision-makers and citizens. Special topics refer to the economic soundness of water strategies and policies (economic instruments, water accounting) and support through new finance mobilisation for innovative and low-cost solutions. Experts from the Environment Agency Austria, the Austrian Development Agency, the International Office for Water (France), UNECE and the OECD support the partner countries on behalf of the European Commission.

The new EU4Environment - Water and Data reinforces the on-going EU4Environment- Green Economy programme in the EaP countries. It is also part of the “Team Europe Initiative on water and zero pollution”, which aims to re-energise Europe and its partners after the pandemic and to support the green recovery. The Programme supports the priorities of the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood which include access to clean water for all and a pollution-free environment.

[1] With regard to the participation of Belarus, and in line with the EU Council Conclusions of 12 October 2020, the EU support will focus on intensifying cooperation with non-state stakeholders, including notably civil society, independent media and youth.

[2] With regard to the participation of Belarus, and in line with the EU Council Conclusions of 12 October 2020, the EU support will focus on intensifying cooperation with non-state stakeholders, including notably civil society, independent media and youth.

The First Regional Action Group meeting of EU4Environment - Water and Data programme took place online on June 22nd. It gathered around 130 participants. 

As partners are wrapping up the inception phase, it was the opportunity to meet all virtually, together with the "big sister" programme EU4Environment, EU Neighbourhood & Enlargement, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and International Financial Institutions (IFIs). 

Based on the findings of the inception phase of the programme, priorities for implementation were discussed with key stakeholders, notably senior level representatives and nominated focal points from Eastern Partnership countries and civil society representatives. 

Eastern Partnership countries’ officials, NGOs, other EU funded projects and Development Cooperation Partners were also able to give feedbacks, ask questions and provide clarification.

Wastewater is a mirror of our civilization. The COVID-19 situation can be detected in wastewater earlier than by human testing. All EU Member States have taken rapid action and today around 1 370 wastewater treatment plants are under regular surveillance across the EU. To share the European knowhow, the European Commission asked the Environment Agency Austria to introduce wastewater monitoring to track the spreading of the virus and its variants in the Eastern Partner Countries. This monitoring brings decisive advantages to pandemic management and provides a cost-effective, early and reliable source of information for decision-making. In the framework of the EU4Environment Water and Data programme, the Environment Agency Austria is already preparing missions to the partner countries to strengthen the monitoring capacities on site. This is done in close cooperation with relevant EU institutions and other EU Member States.

The COVID-19 monitoring in wastewater can be used as an important early warning system in local sewage catchment areas to mitigate the spreading of the pandemic. The European experience of introducing such procedures is in demand, especially in the light of the war in Ukraine and the hosting of many refugees in the neighboring countries, such as the Republic of Moldova.

Low-cost early warning system

Since 2021, with the support of the European Union wastewater monitoring has become more mature across Europe as an early warning or de-warning system for tracking epidemics and pandemics. It includes a procedure for sampling, storage, transport, analysis, data evaluation, statistical forecasting and graphical dashboard reporting. Organized as a sentinel surveillance system, the regular collection of few samples from the catchment delivers good information at relatively low costs compared to extensive human testing. This system provides a picture of the epidemiological situation of a sewage catchment area approx. three to seven days earlier than human testing. Sequencing of the genetic code of the COVID-19 pathogen, and thus mutation analysis, is also possible to monitor the spreading of variants. The wastewater sample thus represents the infection status of a cross-section of a population and eases health authorities to adjust health protection measures.

To ensure that collected data is reliable, comparable and promptly shared with public health authorities, the EU installed an exchange platform, accessible under https://wastewater-observatory.jrc.ec.europa.eu. But the EU response to the Coronavirus health crisis reaches far beyond its borders. In total, the European Union mobilized over 2.5 billion Euros to support the Eastern Partner Countries in tackling the pandemic and socio-economic recovery.

Further strengthening water resources management and environmental data in Eastern Partner Countries

Within the EU4Environment – Water and Data in Eastern Partner Countries programme, strategies for the protection and careful use of water in the Eastern Partner Countries will be further developed and prepared for implementation in the period 2022-2024. The basis for these strategies are the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive, notably river basin planning, transboundary water cooperation and stakeholder involvement. In addition, environmental information on waste, land use, agriculture, air and water quality is being improved and access to this data is being made easier for decision-makers and citizens. Special new topics refer to the economic soundness of water strategies and policies (economic instruments, water accounting) and support through new finance mobilisation for innovative and low-cost solutions. Experts from the Environment Agency Austria, the ADA, the Office International de l’Eau (France), the UNECE and the OECD support the partner countries on behalf of the European Union. The programme is part of a Team Europe Initiative on water and zero pollution. 

Further information

Coronavirus monitoring of wastewater across EU countries: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/news/coronavirus-response-monitoring-wastewater-contributes-tracking-coronavirus-and-variants-across-all-2022-03-17_en

Fact Sheet EU support to Eastern Partnership countries in tackling COVID-19: https://euneighbourseast.eu/news-and-stories/publications/the-eus-response-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic-in-the-eastern-partnership/ 

In early 2022, two “sister” Programmes – current EU4Environment programme “Green Economy” and a new EU4Environment programme on Water Management and Environmental data – joined forces under the EU4Environment umbrella to support cleaner environment, greener economy and people’s well-being in the Eastern Partner (EaP) countries.

The new Water and Data programme will contribute to sustainable water resources management and policy development, sound environmental statistics and open data.

Latest in June

The First Regional Action Group meeting of EU4Environment – Water and Data took place on 22 June and gathered around 130 participants. Among them, high-level representatives from the European Union, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and representatives of the implementing partners provided their insights on the programme’s next steps as the inception phase draws to a close.

Armenia: the Government of Armenia approved the package of amendments to the Water Code, National Water Policy and National Water Programme, which were developed with the support of the European Union Water Initiative Plus. Among other things, the amendments to the Water Code, Water Policy and Water Programme incorporate the main principles and approaches of the European Union Water Framework Directive, including the terminology, such as water bodies, status of water bodies, as well as provisions on equitable access to water and sanitation.

Moldova: within the EU Green Week on 3rd June, EU4Environment-Water and Data presented the joint efforts for improving environmental monitoring and data use in the Republic of Moldova during the event “Towards Green Transformation of the Republic of Moldova” organized by EU4Environment – Green Economy.

Ukraine: Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Union Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries and Ruslan Strelets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine visited the Vyshhgorod laboratory, upgraded under a previous EU project (2016-2021). EU4Environment – Water and Data will strengthen capacity building for the laboratory staff and support its accreditation according to international standards.

A webinar on water account was organized for Ukrainian stakeholders. The programme held similar webinars or workshops targeted in each partner country earlier in April. The discussions focused on developing and using the water accounts for better understanding of how the behaviour of the society, and its economic activities, are affecting water resources over time.

Georgia: The Georgian delegation participated in a field trip in France organized by the French Development Agency Group. Within this field trip, implementing partners of EU4Environment – Water and Data organized a visit to a constructed wetland, a nature-based solution for wastewater treatment.

Earlier in May

In Moldova, during the mission, a medical microbiologist from the National Agency for Public Health, performed the country’s first ever monitoring/identification of SarsCov-2 virus in wastewater from Chisinau’s sewerage system.

Azerbaijan: a workshop on “economical mechanisms of the water sector: water bills, water fees” was organized during a mission in Azerbaijan, on the request of Azerbaijani partners.

Follow the latest developments under “EU4Environment: Water management and Environmental Data” through their programme’s Facebook Page.