Eastern Partnership: The Water Management Dimension of Cooperation

Transcription

1 Eastern Partnership: The Water Management Dimension of Cooperation Angela Bularga Programme Manager, DG NEAR Unit C2 Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus & Eastern Partnership 9 November 2017

2 Eastern Partnership: A Comprehensive Agenda 1. Economic development and market opportunities 2. Strengthening institutions and good governance 4 Riga Priorities 20 deliverables 3. Connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate 4. Mobility and people to people contacts

3 Riga Priority 3 architecture Deliverable 13: Transport connectivity Deliverable 14: Energy supply Deliverable 15: Energy efficiency, renewables and climate change mitigation Deliverable 16: Environment and climate change adaptation Extension of TEN-T core networks EU4Energy - efficiency and transparency of energy markets E5P investment grants for energy efficiency Water resources management Governance of transport and logistics systems Update and review of key priority projects Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans Green economy and green infrastructure Common Aviation Area Agreements Moldova-Romania gas interconnection SME support for sustainable efficiency Better environmental governance National road safety action plans Southern Gas Corridor operational Climate policies, financing, and emissions MRV Climate adaptation planning

4 Underpinning political decisions Global multilateral agenda EU global cooperation Eastern Partnership: Regional dimension Bilateral cooperation UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (2015) A Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and Security Policy (2016) The European Neighbourhood Policy (reviewed in 2015) EaP Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate (2016) Association Agreements (AAs)/Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs) with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015) Multi-Annual Indicative Programme Partnership Priorities/revised AAs and new Single Support Frameworks

5 Estimated benefits of environmental action in Eastern Partnership countries Other benefits: 1 billion/year Water management: 5.4 billion /year Air quality: 2.6 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,

6 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

7 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

8 EU Water Initiative Plus partners EASTERN PARTNERSHIP (EaP) COUNTRIES: ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN BELARUS GEORGIA MOLDOVA UKRAINE EU MEMBER STATES AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION: AUSTRIA FRANCE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS:

9 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

10 Result 1: Legal and regulatory framework improved in line with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), Integrated Water Resources Management and Multilateral Environmental Agreements. National Policy Dialogue RESULT 1 Capacity Building Legislative and regulatory reform Result 2: River Basins Management Plans designed and implemented in line with the EU WFD principles, from pilot basin to country scale. River Basin Management Planning RESULT 2 Data management Monitoring & laboratories RESULT 3 Result 3: Stakeholder involvement and communication Lessons learnt regularly collected, shared and communicated to stakeholders. Stakeholders involvement Communication

11 Progress with EUWI Plus implementation in 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 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

12 Previous or related projects Environmental Protection of International River Basins (EPIRB) Support to Ukraine in approximation of the EU environmental acquis Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-made Disasters in the Eastern Partnership Countries Implementation of the Shared Environmental Information System principles and practices in the Eastern Partnership countries - ENI SEIS II East project EEA-implemented

13 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

14 Implementation of basin principle Practices of river basin management contribute to stabilise or decrease pressure on water resources Implementation of major principles of European Union's water acquis Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia Moldova Ukraine Progressed, RBMPs for 3 out of No legal basis for Started, first RBMP Started, RBMP The basin principle 6 River Basin Districts of the development or developed being developed is enacted by 2011 country have been officially adoption of basin for 1 out of 6 Water law and adopted by Government plans and basins are Significant progress basins while related by-laws, Resolutions. Practices are not delineated. But observed over basins not yet effective since expected to be improved once draft plans for 2015 in terms of delineated the RBMPs start being Alazani-Ganikh and reducing water A small reduction of implemented. Central Kura. drafted intensity of PPP GDP water intensity of but not officially PPP GDP adopted. 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 Improved water allocation rules and planning All 6 BMOs of the country are working already since The Armenian water legislation does not require establishment of public Basin Councils. The rules and practices need to be updated Management of water resources carried out based on the administrativeterritorial principle, no basin management organizations are established yet. The rules and practices need to be updated First Basin Council created but not yet fully operational The rules and practices need to be enhanced There are no BMOs established in Georgia yet, and management of water resources is still done at the central level. The rules and practices need to be updated Basin Committees created in Danube - Prut and Black Sea District; and for Dniester District The rules and practices need to be enhanced 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. 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).

15 Examples of upcoming events November 2017: Workshop for Caucasus countries on ISO for laboratories 28 November 2017: NPD Steering Committee meeting in Ukraine 4-8 December 2017: NPD Steering Committee meeting in Armenia (tbc) 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