The document summarizes a regional launch event for a new European Union program on water resources and environmental data in Eastern Partnership countries. It includes an agenda for presentations and feedback on the program outline, goals to improve environmental resilience and extend environmental databases. Implementing partners will lead on specific outputs like river management plans, water monitoring, economic analysis, and improving availability of statistics on topics like water, land, and air quality. The program aims to engage stakeholders and improve open data and policy-relevant information to support decision-making. National kick-off events will take place in each country during an inception phase leading to validation and start of implementation activities.

1. REGIONAL LAUNCH EVENT
European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
9 February 2022

2. AGENDA
11:00 – 11:10 Opening remarks by Mr. Lawrence MEREDITH, Director
for Neighbourhood East and Institution Building, the
European Commission
11:10 – 11:50 Presentation of the Programme outline and key
elements by Implementing Partners
11:50 – 12:20 Feedback by EaP officials and the EaP Civil Society
Forum on current trends and country priorities, including
questions on new Programme
12:20 – 12:25 Outlook to national kick-off events and inception phase
meetings
12:25 – 12:30 Closing remarks
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3. OPENING REMARKS BY MR. LAWRENCE MEREDITH,
DIRECTOR FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD EAST AND
INSTITUTION BUILDING, THE EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
9 February 2022

4. PRESENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME OUTLINE
AND KEY ELEMENTS BY IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS
European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
9 February 2022

5. PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
Name: European Union for Environment in Eastern Partnership countries
– Water Resources and Environmental Data
• based on the ENI East Regional Action Programme 2020 (15 Dec 2020)
• Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus*, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine
Budget: 12.75 M € - includes 0.6 M € from ADA and 0.15 M € from Agence Artois-Pic./FR
Timeline: implementation until June 2024
Inception Period January to June 2022
Partners: UBA and ADA with OiEau (MPCA), OECD and UNECE
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Goals:
 Improved environmental, climate and socio-economic resilience, and human health
 Build on EUWI+ and on SEIS II in 2 Components:
Strengthen governance and capacity for IWRM (WFD implementation and National
Policy Dialogues): more sustainable water use
Extend scope to other key aspects: economic soundness, Covid-19, financing
Extend the environmental database for knowledge-based decision-making
Environmental statistics and extended access to open data
Work with the future Team Europe Initiative - “Water and Zero Pollution”

6. Open data
OUTPUTS LEAD
6
River basin
management plans
Water allocation
Stakeholders’
involvement
Water monitoring
Economic
soundness of
strategies
Finance
mobilisation
Water and health
National policy
dialogues
Transboundary
cooperation
Water accounting
Land and
agriculture
Air and waste
International
sharing of data
Open data
Component 1 Component 2

7. OIEAU LEAD FOR THREE MAIN OUTPUT AREAS
The first cycle of river basin management planning is extended
Water strategies, policies and practices include climate-proofing
measures for water allocation
Water utilities, the private sector and the general public are more
closely involved in water management
Plus cooperation on:
• Financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions
• Implementation of river basin management plans

8. OIEAU LEAD FOR THREE MAIN OUTPUT AREAS
Highlights for elaboration during inception phase:
• Preparation of River Basin Management Plans
• Preparation of guidance documents
• Promotion of nature-based solutions
• Addressing water allocation issues
• Provide support for integration of sustainable water allocation
rules in planning and regulatory documents
• Preparation of a pilot local sustainable water allocation plan
• Preparation of stakeholder consultations
• Establish and guiding the work of basin councils
• Extending work with universities and academic institutions
• Raising awareness of the wider public about water protection use

9. 9

10. UBA LEAD FOR THE OUTPUT AREA WATER MONITORING
NOVEL APPROACHES ARE FURTHER PROMOTED
Improve monitoring networks, frequency, parameters, interpretation:
 surface water
 groundwater
 coastal and transitional waters
Promote the adoption of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring
Monitoring and assessment of transboundary waters
More staff training in water laboratories on new equipment & methods
(re-)accreditation and quality management of reference laboratories
Plus cooperation on:
• River basin planning
• Further alignment with EU norms and standards in wastewater treatment
• Raising awareness of the wider public about water protection and us
• Enhancing transboundary water cooperation
• Mobilise finance

11. UBA LEAD FOR THE OUTPUT AREA WATER MONITORING
Highlights for elaboration during Inception Phase:
• New water monitoring programmes: more surveys, wider scope, results
• Webinar on Covid-10 monitoring in wastewater in late March 2022
• Training programme for water labs
• Proficiency tests and quality management
• Facilitate accreditation

12. AUSTRIAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
• Partner to the Multi-Partner Contribution Agreement with EU and
UBA
• Co-financing of the action
• Sub-contracting of OiEau (grant)
• Provision of one national representative in Moldova
• Coordination, implementation and monitoring of activities in
component 1 foreseen for Moldova by the national representative
together with the respective output leaders
• ADA HQ, Vienna: management of OiEau grant, coordination with
UBA, OiEau and national representative in Moldova.
12

13. UNECE LEAD FOR TWO MAIN OUTPUT AREAS
Implementation of water for health agenda advances
National and international water governance and cooperation are
further strengthened
Plus cooperation / synergies on:
• Transboundary RBMP
• Monitoring and assessment of transboundary waters
• Economic soundness of water strategies and policies
• Alignment with EU norms and standards in the water sector
• Finance mobilisation
• Communication and visibility
Building on processes and tools of the Water Convention and its
Protocol on Water and Health

14. UNECE LEAD FOR TWO MAIN OUTPUT AREAS
Highlights for elaboration during inception phase:
• Promoting sector policy reform to ensure the implementation of
water and health goals, with emphasis on COVID-19 challenges and
international commitments
• Supporting policy reform and implementation through technical
advice and capacity building related to water and health
• National Policy Dialogues on water policy (in cooperation with
OECD)
• Enhancing transboundary water cooperation by supporting dialogue
and building capacity
• Supporting the enhancement of national legal frameworks for IWRM
and transboundary water cooperation through technical assistance
• Supporting the monitoring of progress of transboundary cooperation
to address gaps and accelerate achievement of SDG 6

15. OECD LEAD FOR TWO MAIN OUTPUT AREAS
The economic soundness of water strategies and policies is improved
Priority measures are supported through finance mobilisation
Plus cooperation on:
• Facilitation of National Policy Dialogues (NPDs) with UNECE
• Post-pandemic recovery – role of economic instruments
• Financing mechanisms for nature-based solutions
• Integration of environmental data with OECD platforms
• Communication and visibility including organisation of Action
Group meetings

16. OECD LEAD FOR TWO MAIN OUTPUT AREAS
Highlights for elaboration during inception phase:
• Enhancing economic instruments for water management
• Identifying subsidies that impact efficient use of water
• Analysis and providing recommendations on water pricing
• Identification of pilot project opportunities to promote reforms
• Identification of opportunities to introduce “lower-cost solutions”
• Engaging IFIs in river basin management plans implementation
• Identification of appropriate funding sources for priority projects,
including investment into transboundary projects
• Review of opportunities for nature-based solutions

17. COMPONENT 2 –
ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS AND OPEN DATA
Objective:
better availability of policy-relevant data to decision-makers and citizens
Principles of co-operation:
• Address thematic areas such as water accounts, landcover
information, waste management and air quality data (2.1 - 2.3)
• Improve data accessibility and international co-operation in all
thematic areas (2.4, 2.5)
• Differentiate intensity and priorities according to the specific situation
and policy-relevant needs of each country
• Enhance co-operation of Environment Ministries and Statistical
Offices on policy-relevant data issues
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18. COMPONENT 2 – OUTPUT 2.1
Objective:
Water accounts are extended
Outputs, activities and EU support:
• Assess the implementation of water accounts in each country
• Assist countries in implementing water accounts systems
• Support the existing functional systems to fill data gaps identified in
the inception phase, and establish routines for data collection and
publication of yearly accounts, key indicators and potential support to
River Basin Management Plans
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19. COMPONENT 2 – OUTPUT 2.2
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Objective:
Land and agriculture monitoring and data are improved
Outputs, activities and EU support:
• Review the Corine Landcover pilots done in the
SEIS East project
• Renew dialogue with national partners
(ministerial, technical teams)
• Agree upscaling and/or thematic extension
according country and EU priorities
• Assess availability of further ancillary data (from
global Earth Observation, national monitoring)

20. COMPONENT 2 – OUTPUT 2.3
Objective:
Air and waste management data and statistics are improved
for policy-relevant use
Outputs, activities and EU support:
• Adapting waste data collection to the needs of waste management
policies and monitoring of their implementation
• Further improving air quality monitoring and related data services,
based on EU good practices and with focus on health-relevant fine
particulate matter (PM 2.5)
• Further improving national air quality pollutant emission inventories
20

21. COMPONENT 2 - OUTPUT 2.4
Objective:
Open data and citizens’ participation in data collection and analysis are
further operationalised
Activities and EU support:
• Facilitating implementation of roadmaps related to e-government and
open data initiatives and environmental information management and
sharing
• Continuing work on metadata related to environmental data
• Gradually implementing the annual preparation of the open data
maturity reports with a focus on the environment
• Integrating environmental data into open government portals
• Enabling better participation of citizens in data collection and analysis
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22. COMPONENT 2 - OUTPUT 2.5
Objective:
International sharing of data and networking is maintained
Activities and EU support:
• Reviewing status and gaps of international reporting obligations
• Enhance co-operation of ENI East countries with EEA/Eionet and the
UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment and Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and
Indicators and bodies under Multilateral Environmental Agreements
• Support SEIS implementation and SDG monitoring in ENI East
countries
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23. COMMUNICATION & VISIBILITY
• Overall objective: reinforce support
for the programme and its impact on
the ground
• Key message: improve the
management of natural resources to
build a greener future
• Target groups in the EaP countries:
• Public authorities
• Environmental data producers
• Water users, utilities and operators
• Private sector producing negative
or positive externality for waste, air
pollution, land use
• Civil society organisations
• Academia, research community
• Media
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• 3 main channels : EU, Partners’ consortium,
EaP
• Tools
• Communication kit: visual identity,
website, leaflet, etc.
• Inputs to decision-makers &
stakeholders: policy briefs and highlights
of technical publications
• Inputs to the media & large public:
articles and social media posts, press
releases, interviews, high-level and
outreach events
• Platforms for dialogues: NPDs, Action
groups, capacity development meetings,
webinar/seminars, daily communication
between EU MS and EaP experts.

24. FEEDBACK BY EAP OFFICIALS AND THE EAP CIVIL
SOCIETY FORUM ON CURRENT TRENDS AND
COUNTRY PRIORITIES, INCLUDING QUESTIONS ON
NEW PROGRAMME
European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
9 February 2022

25. OUTLOOK TO NATIONAL KICK-OFF EVENTS AND
INCEPTION PHASE MEETINGS
European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
9 February 2022

26. INCEPTION PHASE
26
Launch
announcement
DG Near
Letter
Kick-off event
High level
regional
meeting
Local kick-off
events
5 Country
meetings
Inception
activities
Country
meetings &
missions
1st Regional
Programme
Group
meeting:
Inception
phase
validation
AM 28 Feb
AZ 2 March
GE 10 March
MD 9 March
UA 11 March
Jan. 2022 9 Feb 2022 June 2022
March,
April, May
National Focal Points for water, environmental data and health + Thematic FP

27. CLOSING REMARKS
European Union for Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
9 February 2022