Water resources management
Another milestone for water resources in Armenia
Since 27 January 2023, Armenia has an EU-inspired outline from which to develop all its future River Basin Management Plans, including the second planning cycles for existing plans. The outline was officially approved by a decree of the Minister of Environment of Armenia on 27 January 2023. This outline features the different chapters that make up a river basin management plan. It takes into consideration the requirements of the Water Code of Armenia, as well as the country’s obligations under the European Union-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), and particularly its gradual approximation towards the EU Water Framework Directive.
Kick off of the river basin management plans in Armenia and Georgia and continuation of the work for the Dnipro in Ukraine
Armenia officially kicked off the work to develop the Qasakh water quantity management plan (17 January) and the Northern River Basin management plan (16 February). The Qasakh water quantity management plan aims to ensure sufficient water for agriculture, industry, drinking water and aquatic ecosystems at the scale of this sub-basin of the Hrazdan. It will help determine how much water can be taken from nature without endangering the water ecosystems and set collective management rules and monitoring processes. The management plan for the Northern River Basin is the 6th to be developed with EU support. Once adopted, Armenia will be the first Caucasus countries whose territory is fully covered by River Basin Management plans. On 2 February a groundwater workshop took place in Yerevan on the assessment of the chemical and quantitative status of groundwater. To support the development of the Northern River Basin Management Plan, Armenian and Austrian experts also discussed the delineation of groundwater bodies and the possibility of a joint Armenian-Georgian field survey.
Georgia kicked off the work to develop the future management plans for Enguri and Rioni river basins on 14 February in Kutaisi. More than 40 participants took part in the discussions. Enguri and Rioni are the 4th & 5th river basin management plans to be developed with EU support.
In Ukraine, national experts have started working on the final stage of the Dnipro River Basin Management Plan. A consultation was held with representatives of the Dnipro River basin management bodies regarding the preparation of the Programme of measures in November 2022. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources created a working group with the participation of all responsible management bodies for the development of the 9 River Basin Management Plans. The Dnipro river basin management plan will be a model for the other basins in Ukraine.
Environmental data
Land monitoring
The Republic of Moldova held a workshop on land monitoring on 1-2 February. Participants focused on the national implementation of the Corine Land Cover pilot project, on the joint assessment of available global and national land monitoring data as well as on the preparation and decision on the use of High Resolution Land Cover data for national assessments in a pilot area. This work will provide an opportunity to develop new products on biodiversity and climate change monitoring.
Similar workshops already took place (in Armenia in December 2022), other are under preparation for Georgia and Ukraine (March 2023) and for Azerbaijan (April 2023).
European waste management reporting
On 21 February, the EU4Environment Water and Data programme organised an online regional workshop on European waste management reporting in which UkrStat presented Ukrainian progress towards the requirements of the European Waste Statistics regulation. The program supports the development of a waste reporting regulation under the New Waste Management Act which enters into force in July 2023. As in all European countries, good co-operation between Waste Management authorities and Statistical Institutes is essential for effective policy-relevant waste management reporting.
Read the workshop’s presentations
Water accounting
Following up on bilateral experts meetings, EU4Environment Water and Data international experts on water accounting are preparing a webinar for specialists from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in March. Topic will be the European approaches to water accounting and possible ways to improve knowledge on water use.