The European Union Water Initiative Plus for the Eastern Partnership held its first Steering Committee meeting in Brussels, Belgium on May 16, 2017. The meeting summarized progress on 3 key results areas: 1) Supporting legislation, policy and institutions in Belarus related to water management; 2) Strengthening laboratory monitoring programs to be compliant with the EU Water Framework Directive; and 3) Involving stakeholders and improving communication about water management in Belarus. Key outcomes included launching a national water policy dialogue, developing a new water strategy, and procuring new equipment and training to improve water quality monitoring.

1. EUROPEAN UNION WATER INITIATIVE PLUSEUROPEAN UNION WATER INITIATIVE PLUS
FOR THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIPFOR THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP
FIRST STEERING COMMITTEE MEETINGFIRST STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
1616THTH
MAY 2017, BRUSSELSMAY 2017, BRUSSELS
BELARUSBELARUS

2. Result 1 Legislation, Policy and Institutional strengthening
Activities streams Project Outcomes
Support to launching National Policy
Dialogue process & facilitating it
National Policy Dialogue process launched.
1-2 NPD Steering Committee meetings a year
Development of Water Strategy 2030
Water Strategy until 2030 updated and adopted, featuring SDGs, Paris
climate accord, and more coherent with water-related EU directives
Support to transboundary cooperation
on Western Dvina/Daugava and Neman
Bilateral meetings supported with Latvia on Western Dvina/Daugava
and with Lithuania on Neman. Methodological support towards a
transboundary RMBP on Neman provided (bridging to GEF project).
International Water Forum in Minsk,
October 2017
EUWI+ input to the Water Forum provided
Express survey of the status and outlook
for use of water resources and
development of water systems in the
Kopyl rayon, Minsk oblast
Improved planning of water resources and water infrastructure at local
and basin levels
Support to implementation of the new
Water Strategy (upon its approval)
New Water Strategy is being effectively implemented

3. Result 2 Laboratory and Monitoring programme strengthening
Activities streams Project Outcomes
Assessment
• Needs in terms of equipment, infrastructure, trainings towards WFD
compliant laboratory(ies), QM/accreditation and GW and SW
monitoring identified
• Training plan established
Contract document preparation
• Decision on purchase or upgrade of equipment, infrastructure,
consumables taken
• Technical specifications for procurement agreed
• Tender documentation drafted
Procurement
• Tender published in official journal of European Commission,
Q4/2017
• Procurement process Q1-Q2/2018
Delivery and installation
• Delivery, installation and training on new equipment
• Delivery envisaged end of Q2/2018
Surveys and Training
• Training plan for Republican Center for Analytical Control and the
Laboratory of Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive
Contamination and Environmental Monitoring and other relevant
key personnel (2018 onwards)
• Hands-on trainings and training documentation
• Surveys to practice good use carried out (2018 onwards)

4. Transboundary harmonisation of RBMP
Pilot Basin for
RBMP
Development
Pilot Basin for
RBMP
implementation
Hydrographic districts in Belarus

5. Result 2 RBMP development
Activities streams Project Outcomes
Review of upper Dnieper plan and
other national RBMPs
• Preliminary assessment of Upper Dnieper RBMP regarding the
requirements of the WFD.
• Support refinement of Upper Dnieper RBMP compliant with the
WFD.
Delineation and typology
• Reviewed / revised GWB delineation.
• Re-delineation of SWBs due to shift to WFD system B,
• SW Typology reviewed / revised.
• Revised guidelines to support further national implementation.
Pressures and Impact assessment
• Reviewed GW and SW risk assessment as basis for the programme of
measures and the revision of monitoring networks
Environmental objectives and status
assessment
• Environmental objectives identified.
• Reviewed and revised status assessment procedure towards WFD
compliance.
• Water body status assessed
• Harmonisation improvement of Pripyat RBMPs on both side of the
border (umbrella plan, transboundary working groups).

6. Result 2 RBMP development
Activities streams Project Outcomes
Data flow management RBM
planning
• Recommendations about strengthening data management, support
to data management and valorisation (web service, process of data
valorisation)
Programme of Measures
• Support the development of pilot Pripyat Programme of Measures
and RBMP compliant with the WFD.
• Updated and improved national guidelines to be in coherence with
the Belarusian context.
• Training program established and implemented for up-scaling pilot
experience to other Belarusian Districts.
Public consultation and adoption
• Public consultations on RBMPs and other relevant documentation
linked to participative RBMPlanning conducted
• Training session and coaching on animation technics to conduct
consultation workshops organised
• Guidelines on public participation in the relation with the WFD
elaborated

7. Result 2 RBMP Implementation
Activities streams Project Outcomes
System for Monitoring of the future
implementation of the RBMP
programme of measures
• Dashboard (or other tool) for regular monitoring of Programme of
Measures implementation.
• Procedure guidelines.
• PoM draft implementation report.
Implementation of soft measures
• Support for the implementation of selected measures.
Surveys and EsCS development
• Sufficient monitoring data available (gap filling) to support the
review of the Dnieper RBMP and the development of the Prypjat
RBMP.
• Ecological status classification system developed for all relevant
biological quality elements.

8. Result 3 Stakeholder involvement and communication
Activities streams Project Outcomes
Development of Communication
Strategy
• Communication strategy in place at basin, national and regional scale
to efficiently support IWRM among main interested parties and up to
the wide public
Implementaion of Communication
Strategy
• Communication activities (Awareness raising events, Information
materials, Websites, Press-releases, Social media, E-learning,
Workshops) at basin, national and regional scale implemented
• External project communication assured and developed in synergy
with the communication strategy implementation
• Mechanism for sharing information among project partners is
developed (e.g. web based EUWIplusEast information exchange
platform, online collaboration tools, etc)
Strengthening of stakeholder
involvement mechanisms for
participative RBMPlanning
• Development of practices and progressive institutionalisation of
stakeholder involvement mechanisms for implementation of the EU
water-related acquis, IWRM and MEAs
• Methodological and technical support for stakeholder involvement in
River Basin Management Planning provided