Eastern Partnership: The Water Management
Dimension of Cooperation
Angela Bularga Programme Manager, DG NEAR Unit C2
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus & Eastern Partnership
9 November 2017
Eastern Partnership: A Comprehensive Agenda
1. Economic development and
market opportunities
2. Strengthening institutions and good
governance
3. Connectivity, energy efficiency, environment
and climate
4. Mobility and people to people contacts
4 Riga Priorities – 20 deliverables
Riga Priority 3 architecture
Deliverable 13: Transport
connectivity
Extension of TEN-T core networks
Governance of transport and logistics
systems
Common Aviation Area Agreements
National road safety action plans
Deliverable 14: Energy supply
EU4Energy - efficiency and transparency of
energy markets
Update and review of key priority projects
Moldova-Romania gas interconnection
Southern Gas Corridor operational
Deliverable 15: Energy efficiency, renewables and climate change
mitigation
E5P investment grants for energy efficiency
Sustainable Energy and Climate Action
Plans
SME support for sustainable efficiency
Climate policies, financing, and emissions MRV
Deliverable 16: Environment and climate change
adaptation
Water resources management
Green economy and green infrastructure
Better environmental governance
Climate adaptation planning
Underpinning political decisions
Global multilateral
agenda
UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
(2015)
Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015)
EU global cooperation
A Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and Security
Policy (2016)
Eastern Partnership:
Regional dimension
The European Neighbourhood Policy (reviewed in 2015)
EaP Ministerial Declaration on
Environment and Climate (2016)
Multi-Annual Indicative Programme
Bilateral cooperation
Association Agreements (AAs)/Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs) with Ukraine, Georgia
and Moldova
Partnership Priorities/revised AAs
and new Single Support Frameworks
Estimated benefits of environmental action in Eastern Partnership countries
Water management: €5.4 billion
/year
Air quality: €2.6 billion/year
Other benefits:
€1 billion/year
Source: European Commission, DG ENV (2015): The economic and environmental implications for the EU of strengthening cooperation with the Eastern Neighbourhood countries; ENV.E.1/ETU/2014/0008rl, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/international_issues/pdf/STELLAConsulting_Final_EaPstudy_Apr2015.pdf
Avenues of regional cooperation on environment and water
• Political dialogue • Eastern Partnership Panel on Environment and Climate Change, National
Policy Dialogues in each country
• Technical assistance • Several regional projects, consolidated in 2015 under the EU Water
Initiative Plus umbrella
• Investments • Projects implemented in conjunction with the Neighbourhood Investment
Facility and Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership
• Important role of Member States, including as implementing partners • Romania chairing the EECCA Working Group of the EUWI
• Austria and France – EUWI Plus implementation, with input from Croatoa and other Member States
EU Water Initiative Plus' overview
• EU-funded action: contribution of 23.5 million EUR
• Four-year implementation period starting in 2016
• Implemented by a Consortium of Member States, as well as OECD and UNECE
• Builds on previous phase of the EU Water Initiative and other relevant activities
• Scope of Action: Commission Implementing Decision C(2015)5272 final of 22 July 2015 as modified by the Commission Implementing Decision C(2016) 6396 final of 4 October 2016
EU Water Initiative Plus partners
EU MEMBER STATES AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION:
EASTERN PARTNERSHIP (EaP) COUNTRIES:
BELARUS MOLDOVA UKRAINE ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN GEORGIA
AUSTRIA FRANCE
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS:
What is our ambition?
• Short-term (end of 2017) • Agreed national and regional work plans to improve water management along
the Water Framework Directive
• Two-three pilot WFD-compliant River Basin Management Plans adopted by the Partner Countries
• Mid-term (by 2020) • An estimated 38 Million population living in areas covered by WFD-compliant
river basin management plans with associated improved quality of life (baseline: 7.9 Million)
• Long-term (post-2020) • Implementation of the respective chapters of Association Agreements by
Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine
• Further progress in non-AA countries
RESULT 3
Stakeholders involvement Communication
RESULT 2
River Basin Management
Planning
Data management
Monitoring & laboratories
Result 1: Legal and regulatory framework
improved in line with the EU Water
Framework Directive (WFD), Integrated
Water Resources Management and
Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
Result 2: River Basins Management Plans
designed and implemented in line with
the EU WFD principles, from pilot basin
to country scale.
Result 3:
Stakeholder involvement and
communication
Lessons learnt regularly collected,
shared and communicated to
stakeholders.
RESULT 1
National Policy Dialogue
Legislative and regulatory reform
Capacity Building
Progress with EUWI Plus implementation in 2016-17
• Kicked off through a high level regional meeting (19-20 September 2016) in Kyiv, Ukraine and through national kick off meetings held in late 2016
• The first Steering Committee Meeting was held in Brussels on 15-16 May 2017 and allowed presentation of a draft version of the inception report and national work plans
• The inception phase was completed by finalising the scoping on work and approving national plans until 1 September 2016
• In parallel work has started on priority work programme activities
• Website established : euwipluseast.eu
Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural
and Man-made Disasters in the Eastern Partnership
Countries
Environmental Protection of International River
Basins (EPIRB) 2012-2016
Support to Ukraine in approximation of the
EU environmental acquis
Previous or related projects
Implementation of the Shared Environmental
Information System principles and practices in
the Eastern Partnership countries - ENI SEIS II
East project – EEA-implemented
Achievements in improving water management in EaP countries
• As part of data gathering for the river basin planning, 60 water quality surveys have been conducted since 2014
• One WFD compliant River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) adopted in Armenia in 2017; six RBMPs developed in other five Partner Countries with EU support await government approval
• Ukraine committed to develop a basin plan for its largest river with partial support of the EU Water Initiative Plus
• National policy dialogues on the water sector reform are on-going in 5 out of 6 countries (with discussions ongoing to launch the NPD in Belarus)
• National work plans in support of WFD implementation drafted and approved by all Partner Countries in 2017
Implementation of major principles of European Union's water acquis Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia Moldova Ukraine
Implementation of basin principle
Practices of river basin management contribute to stabilise or decrease pressure on water resources
Progressed, RBMPs for 3 out of 6 River Basin Districts of the country have been officially adopted by Government Resolutions. Practices are expected to be improved once the RBMPs start being implemented.
No legal basis for development or adoption of basin plans and basins are not delineated. But draft plans for Alazani-Ganikh and Central Kura. drafted but not officially adopted.
Started, first RBMP developed
Significant progress observed over 1995-2015 in terms of reducing water intensity of PPP GDP
Started, RBMP being developed for 1 out of 6 basins while basins not yet delineated
The basin principle is enacted by 2011 Water law and related by-laws, effective since 2013.
A small reduction of water intensity of PPP GDP
Progressed, RBMPs developed or being developed for 4 out of 7 basin districts while basins not yet delineated
Practices are expected to be improved once the RBMPs start being implemented.
Advancement in institutional arrangements for water resources management (RBOs) and river basin councils
All 6 BMOs of the country are working already since 2004. The Armenian water legislation does not require establishment of public Basin Councils.
Management of water resources carried out based on the administrative-territorial principle, no basin management organizations are established yet.
First Basin Council created but not yet fully operational
There are no BMOs established in Georgia yet, and management of water resources is still done at the central level.
Basin Committees created in Danube -Prut and Black Sea District; and for Dniester District
9 water WBMAs and public Basins Councils to support WBMA activities on the creation of RBMPs. The functioning of these councils is based on agreements between the regions, but no legal basis of Basin Councils.
Improved water allocation rules and planning
The rules and practices need to be updated
The rules and practices need to be updated
The rules and practices need to be enhanced
The rules and practices need to be updated
The rules and practices need to be enhanced
The rules and practices need to be updated
Economic instruments Water costs recovery is partial (O&M and capital costs recovery)
Water costs recovery is partial (O&M costs).
Water costs recovery is partial (O&M costs); use of instruments to be improved
Water costs recovery is partial (O&M costs).
Water costs recovery is partial (O&M costs); use of instruments to be improved
Water costs recovery is partial (O&M costs).
Examples of upcoming events
• 28 – 30 November 2017: Workshop for Caucasus countries on ISO 17025 for laboratories
• 28 November 2017: NPD Steering Committee meeting in Ukraine
• 4-8 December 2017: NPD Steering Committee meeting in Armenia (tbc)
• 18-20 December 2017: Meeting of the Coordination Committee of the National Policy Dialogue on integrated water resources management in the Republic of Moldova
• March 2018: Second Steering Committee Meeting (Tbilisi, Georgia)
• Quarterly updates produced by the Project that could be shared
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