Environmental protection experts from two banks of Dniester hold new working meeting

The second meeting of the Environmental Protection Working Groups of the current year today was held by videoconference, with the participation of specialized experts from both banks of the Dniester River.

During the meeting, experts from the Environment Ministry, the Environment Agency, the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, the public institution, National Administration “Apele Moldovei” (Moldova’s Waters) and the Institute for Forestry Research and Management subordinated to the Moldsilva Forestry Agency addressed issues related to the implementation, throughout the country, of the provisions of national environmental protection legislation. They also discussed problems concerning surface water pollution resulting from the entry of harmful inorganic and organic impurities, the implementation of efficient environmental crisis management, the protection of atmospheric air, water and the aquatic environment, as well as the efficient management of forest resources and pollutant emissions.

The participants in the meeting also addressed aspects related to activities carried out in order to reduce pollution risks in the Dniester River basin and to improve the quality of surface waters, the implementation of projects on the reconstruction and construction of wastewater treatment plants, the protection of aquatic biological resources, the fight against poaching, as well as the alignment of the activities of economic agents on the left bank of the Dniester, registered with the Public Services Agency, with the provisions of the national environmental regulatory framework.

A separate topic of discussion concerned the measures taken by Chisinau to manage the environmental crisis caused by pollutant discharges into the Dniester River as a result of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which triggered major risks for the environment and for the security of water supply for the population on both banks of Dniester. In the context, the sides highlighted  importance of international cooperation in managing crisis situations, with emphasis on the immediate positive effects of activating the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which materialized through Romania’s prompt intervention, providing the necessary support to reduce environmental impact and strengthen response capacities.

In the context of the launch, in Moldova in 2026, of the National Forest Inventory, carried out with the financial support of development partners, Tiraspol representatives were informed about the organizational and technical aspects of the planned activities, as well as about the benefits of including the forest fund on the left bank of the Dniester in the inventory process. In this regard, support was offered for the implementation in the region of afforestation projects aimed at regenerating forest areas and restoring ecosystems, with a focus on degraded land. For the efficient implementation of this initiative, the participants in the meeting emphasized the need to ensure unhindered access to the region for specialists from the Environment Ministry, as well as the need for Tiraspol to present all available data on infrastructure and forest resources.

At the same time, as for the implementation on the left bank of the Dniester of environmental projects with the assistance of external development partners, the participants in the event underlined that all related activities were to be undertaken exclusively by the constitutional authorities of Moldova, which will assume the corresponding international commitments in this regard.

At the end of the meeting, experts from Chisinau noted the possibility of implementing, in the near future in the region, infrastructure projects, including through the Convergence Fund. They will be financed from both domestic and external sources, as well as from taxes paid by economic agents on the left bank of the Dniester.

At the meeting, the experts’ discussions took place in a constructive way, with an openness being noted for the exchange of information and the resolution of existing problems in the field of environmental protection.