Results of the EU4Environment Water & Data project for sustainable water management in the Eastern Partnership countries

The EU4Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data programme aims to promote sustainable management of water resources and improve the use of environmental data in the Eastern Partnership countries. It supports reforms in water management and access to reliable data for decision-making, while promoting alignment with European standards.

The programme focuses on reducing the impact of human activities on aquatic ecosystems and improving water quality. It works at regional, national and local levels, with the support of several international partners.

The missions of the International Office for Water (OiEau) are varied and focused on sustainable water management.

They include drawing up river basin management plans, in compliance with the European Framework Directive, in specific basins such as the Dniepr in Ukraine, and other basins in Armenia, Georgia and Moldavia.

OiEau also supports the establishment of bodies responsible for managing water resources at the level of river basins.

The association promotes nature-based solutions in management programmes, such as wetlands and ecosystem restoration. It also works to strengthen water information systems, in particular by collecting and digitising data, while promoting its integration, sharing and access.

OiEau is also working on the development of water accounts to better integrate the economic value of water resources into management decisions. Finally, the organisation is involved in raising awareness of water-related issues and promoting EU action for the environment in the region, in order to enhance the visibility and impact of these initiatives.

OiEau has produced a catalogue of nature-based solutions for water management in the EaP countries, with 34 documented solutions, case studies and cost examples to support sustainable water management.

Available in English, it has also been translated into Armenian, Georgian, Romanian and Ukrainian.

Between November and December 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry adopted 9 management plans for the basins of the Dniester, Dnieper, Don, Southern Bug, Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Vistula, Crimea and Danube, covering 600,000 km² (about the size of France) and benefiting 40 million Ukrainians.

The plans describe strategies and actions to protect and manage the river basins, including programmes of measures to reduce local pollution and improve deteriorated river beds.

The plans and its factsheets were drawn up with the support of the European Union, with technical advice from the International Office for Water (OiEau, France) and the Austrian Environment Agency (UBA).