- From left to right: Gintas Baranauskas, Deputy Head of Operations, EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova,
- Alexander Karner, Head of Office, Austrian Development Agency in the Republic of Moldova, Caroline Tissot,
- Director of Cooperation,Swiss Cooperation Office in the Republic of Moldova,
- Alexander Zinke EUWI+ Project Leaderof the EU Member State Consortium
The 5th meeting of the Coordination Committee of the National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) under the European Union Water Initiative plus for the Eastern Partnership programme (EUWI+) was held in Chisinau on 25 October 2019 to discuss the next steps in improving quality, accessibility and affordability of water and water services for Moldovan citizens through better management of water resources.
At the outset of the event, high-level speakers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment and other key Ministries, EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova, Austrian Development Agency and Swiss Cooperation Office in the Republic of Moldova, and NGO community represented by the National Environmental Center shared with participants achievements in the water sector reform over the 10 years of EU Eastern Partnership and vision for the next steps, during a dedicated panel discussion.
More than 65 participants, representing various national ministries and agencies, civil society, bilateral donor agencies and international organizations discussed the progress of the Republic of Moldova in aligning national policies and strategies with the EU Water Framework Directive. Participants specifically discussed the recent institutional changes, e.g. the establishment of the Environment Agency, and opportunities and challenges related to them.
- From left to right: Svetlana Dogotaru, State Secretary, Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure,
- Iuliana Cantaragiu, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment
In the legislative and normative area, the participants discussed amendments to the Water Law adopted by the Parliament on November 2018, recent progress in the establishment of the State Water Cadastre, draft mid-term Action Plan for the Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy, progress in the revision of the National Programme to implement the Protocol on Water and Health and other important developments. The progress in the area of river basin management planning and transboundary water cooperation was presented by the Water Agency "Apele Moldovei" and the EUWI+ team, specifically for the Danube-Prut and the Black Sea River Basin District. Recent developments and challenges related to monitoring and lab strengthening were also discussed.
The participants welcomed synergies and cooperation between different projects supporting the development of the water sector in the Republic of Moldova and underlined the importance of continued support to the water sector reforms from the European Union and other development partners.
The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment and chaired by Ms. Iuliana Cantaragiu, State Secretary and Chair of the NPD Coordination Committee. It was organised with the support of the European Union Water Initiative plus for the Eastern Partnership programme (EUWI+).
- The 5th meeting of the Coordination Committee of the National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on IWRM in the Republic of Moldova