European Union expands assistance for pollution management on Dniester River by mobilizing new resources

The European Union Delegation to the Republic of Moldova has announced a new stage in expanding the assistance provided through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to support national authorities in their efforts to contain and collect petroleum products from the Dniester River. The new logistical contributions, coming from Belgium and Slovakia, aim to strengthen rapid response capacity in critical areas affected by pollution.

EU Member States have mobilized specific technical resources for combating water contamination, with shipments including specialized equipment for containing and recovering hydrocarbons.

“Belgium is providing logistical support consisting of 43 floating barriers, three high-performance skimmers for collecting oil from the water surface, and 11 tanks for storing collected residues. Slovakia will send 42 protective barriers, 10 gasoline-powered sludge pumps, 30 containers for drinking water, and 220 liters of Bioversal solution, used to neutralize polluting substances,” the EU Delegation to Chișinău explained.

These resources are in addition to the interventions already underway and coordinated by Romania, which is contributing water management modules and experts; Luxembourg, which is providing high-capacity generators; and the strategic rescEU reserves in Poland and Germany, which have supplied personal protective equipment for response personnel.

Alongside the civil protection mechanisms, European support is also visible through the project “EU4Moldova Resilient: Safe State, Strong Communities,” financed by the EU and implemented by Solidarity Fund PL. Through this project, biodegradable absorbent materials have already been delivered and used in the Criuleni and Dubăsari districts. Representatives of the EU Delegation stated that assistance will continue in the coming days with the reception of another 5 tons of sorbent and other goods needed for crisis management, thus ensuring the continuity of depollution operations carried out by intervention teams on both banks of the Dniester.