Strengthening national and international governance to achieve integrated water resources management is a challenging task.

At the national level, National Policy Dialogues - which have been held since 2006 in the Republic of Moldova with EU support - act as a multi-stakeholder forum to discuss priority water policy issues across all sectors (agriculture, health, energy, industry, land management, transport, etc.) and with civil society. The EU4Environment Water and Data programme supports this process.

Policies and legislation constitute the “rules of the game” for all stakeholders. In the Republic of Moldova, the Water Law and some 20 sub-law regulations create a legal framework for the management, protection and efficient use of surface water and groundwater. These policy documents and legislations provide the foundations for managing all water resources. The EU4Environment – Water and Data programme aims to strengthen Moldova’s national legal frameworks for Integrated Water Resources Management.

At the international level, stronger coordination is needed with neighbouring countries on shared water resources. The EU4Environment Water and Data programme facilitates reporting regarding the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 6.5.2 on transboundary water cooperation and the UN Water Convention to track the progress made so far and identify future needs.