On 20 October, the Trilateral Declaration on Cooperation on the Management of International Water Issues in the Prut River Basin between Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Romania was concluded on occasion of the International Conference "United for Justice. United for Nature" in Kyiv, Ukraine

Ms Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Moldova, Mr Mircea Fechet, Minister of Environment, Water Resources and Forests of Romania and Mr Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine have signed the document. European Union’s Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius was present at the event and welcomed the signature.

The Prut River is one of the three longest tributaries of the Danube River, along with the Sava and the Tisza rivers. Until it flows into the Danube, it crosses Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Romania, with a total basin area of 28,396 km². Out for 953 km of the Prut River length, 711 km form a border between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, and 31 km of the river constitute the border between Romania and Ukraine.

The Declaration strengthens transboundary cooperation on:

• harmonization of the national management plans for the Prut river basin,
• monitoring of shared waters
• flood and drought management,
• conservation of biodiversity,
• early warning on accidental water pollution,
• public participation and awareness raising,
• joint implementation of the projects and programmes.

A relevant working group will be created under the auspice of the ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River).

“We are really pleased with this historic milestone achieved after a long period of political efforts. With this action the countries have recommitted to the principles of integrated water resources management in the transboundary aspect, as laid down in the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), the ICPDR, and the EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC”, said Tamara Kutonova from the Water Convention Secretariat.

Development and signing of the Declaration was facilitated by the EU4Environment Water and Data programme. This Programme has two main objectives: 1) support a more sustainable use of water resources and 2) improve the use of sound environmental data and their availability for policy-makers and citizens. The programme is implemented in the EU Eastern Partners countries by the Environment Agency Austria (UBA), Austrian Development Agency (ADA), International Office for Water (OiEau) (France), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The action is principally funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation and the French Artois-Picardie Water Agency based on a budget of EUR 12,75 million (EUR 12 million EU contribution) and implemented in the period 2021-2024.

Read the Prut Declaration

Credit picture: Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova

On 4 October, the EU4Environment-Water and Data programme lead a session on water-energy nexus challenges as part of the third edition of the Autumn Digital EU4Energy Week for Eastern Partnership Universities organised by the EU4Energy Programme Phase II.

The event aims to empower young people and provide them with the insights and contacts that will help them to shape the energy sector in their countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

Participating students have the opportunities to meet with EU experts from various organisations in the energy sector, such as the Council of European Energy Regulators, the International Energy Agency, the Energy Community Secretariat, and from experts from the  UNECE and International Office for Water (implementing partners of the EU4Environment Water and Data programme). 

The 2023 edition of the Autumn Digital EU4Energy Week for EaP Universities focuses on the implementation of the Clean Energy Package and the EU Green Deal, the role of hydrogen in the energy transition, energy poverty, and technological solutions for the energy transition.

The lecture of the EU4Environment Water and Data programme described a matrix representing the major water and energy flows needed for human activities and the issues involved. The focus is made on energy requirements for water use and on water requirements for energy production. The objectives were to identify and define the basic vocabulary for studying water and energy flows, to give quantified orders of magnitude and to identify the strong links that exist between the use of water and energy.

As part of the event, participating students will take a quiz on the topics covered. The highest scoring student will attend a conference and meet energy professionals working in the sector.

Presentation on water-energy nexus:

• Introduction (UNECE)
• Water-Energy nexus (OiEau)

Webpage of the event: https://www.eap-events.eu/ehome/index.php?eventid=200267446&

Recording of all sessions and access to all presentations: https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/autumn-digital-eu4energy-week-for-eastern-partnership-universities-launched-in-brussels/

More than 100 participants took part to the regional webinar co-organised by the Covenant of Mayors East and the EU4Environment Water and Data programme. The aim was to raise awareness of municipalities about the impact of air pollution, and to showcase good practice examples to reduce Particulate Matters emissions from major sources.

National workshops building on this regional webinar will follow in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine at the end of September.

Air pollution is the main environmental threat to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) assumes that around 7 million premature deaths are globally related to air pollution. The pollutant with the most severe health impacts is fine particulate matter, PM2.5.

The main sources of PM2.5 are domestic heating with biomass or coal, diesel vehicles, open burning of waste and agricultural waste, industry and power plants. A number of good practice examples are available that can be implemented to reduce emissions of PM2.5 from these sources. In most cases, these measures contribute to further environmental topics such as climate change and noise as well as improving energy security and mobility.

• Agenda

Presentations:

• Municipalities act for climate and sustainable energy use (including “My Air Quality” tool by JRC)
• Health impacts and main sources of PM
• Possible mitigation measures for domestic heating, agricultural waste burning, electricity generators, traffic
• Energy poverty
• There’s something in the air – Communicating Air Quality and mitigation measures

On July 6th, 2023, the EU4Environment Water and Data programme organised an online regional workshop focusing on nature-based solutions in Eastern Partner countries. The workshop gathered over 100 participants, including experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Their shared experiences centered around the implementation of nature-based solutions to combat soil erosion, mitigate floods, and address biodiversity loss.

The workshop's primary objective is to foster a deeper understanding and acceptance of nature-based solutions among Eastern Partner countries. This understanding is essential for integrating nature-based solutions into the programmes of measures of River Basin Management Plans. Currently, such plans are being developed in Armenia (Northern river basin), Georgia (Enguri and Rioni river basins), and Ukraine (Dnipro river basin). Nature-based solutions are seen as relevant measures within these plans because they address societal challenges while simultaneously preserving biodiversity and natural resources.

The insights shared during the workshop will play a valuable role in the development of a comprehensive catalogue on nature-based solutions. This catalogue is being developed by the International Office for Water as part of the programme. Its aim is to facilitate the incorporation of practical and effective nature-based solutions into the river basin management plans of Eastern Partner countries.

The importance of nature-based solutions lies in their cost-effectiveness and sustainability, particularly when driven by local leadership. Implementing successful nature-based solutions requires understanding the local context and involving various partners who may not typically collaborate. Additionally, traditional cost-benefit analyses need to be adapted to fully capture the positive impacts of nature-based solutions on the environment, but also contribute to reducing the effects of climate change while promoting social and economic development in the countries.

Finally, the participants stressed the significance of preserving existing natural ecosystems as the best form of nature-based solutions. By protecting and conserving these ecosystems, it becomes possible to enhance their natural functions and benefits.

Agenda of the workshop

Presentations and useful resources

• Armenia – Rehabilitation of Khor Virap Ramsar site (PDF)
• Azerbaijan – Kura Delta ecological restoration (PDF)
• Georgia – Flourishing dams against suspended matter pollution (PDF)
  
  • Video about the Sustainable Caucasus project (in Georgian)
  • Handbook on integrated erosion control, a practical guide for planning and implementing integrated erosion control measures in Georgia, GIZ (IEC IBIS projects, 2019 - 2020)
• Moldova – Constructed wetlands for sanitation (PDF)
  
  • Video "Constructed wetlands for sanitation in Moldova"
• Ukraine – Contour and melioration agriculture (PDF)
• European Commission, DG ENV – Trends in Nature-based Solutions (PDF)
  • Publication “Evaluating the impact of nature-based solutions” A handbook for practitioners / A summary for policy makers
• UNECE – Nature-based Solutions for water resources (PDF)
• OECD – On-going work supporting the financing of Nature-based Solutions in the EaP countries (PDF)
• OiEau – Presentation of the Nature-based Solutions catalogue (PDF)
• OiEau - Nature-based Solution as measures of River Basin Management Plans (PDF)