Nine Draft River Basin Management Plans for Ukraine
Ukraine strengthens water resources management and takes a major step in aligning with European standards. The tools for protection and sustainable use of water in Ukraine were presented at a Press Conference on December 21.
On December 21, 2023, the State Agency of Water Resources hosted a press conference in Kyiv to kick off the public consultation of the nine new draft River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) of the country. The development of management plans for the river basins of Ukraine is backed by the European Union through the EU4Environment Water and Data programme. This formal launch of the public consultation on the plans will continue until June 2024, before the plans will be finalized and formally adopted by the Government.
‘We are really impressed that Ukraine has accomplished the production of all nine plans under the given conditions of war and limited data available’, said Alexander Zinke from the Environment Agency Austria and leader of the EU programme.
These plans are the basis for an integrated, EU-compliant water management.
Clear vision for Ukraine's future water management
Over the past two years, Ukrainian experts dedicated their efforts to finalize the Dnipro River Basin Management Plan, the biggest river basin in Ukraine (covering 65% of the country and home to 30 million inhabitants), with the support of the EU4Environment Water and Data programme. The Dnipro River Basin Management Plan was serving as a blueprint for the same development of management plans for the other eight river basins across Ukraine: Dniester, Danube, Southern Bug, Don, Vistula, Crimea, and the coastal streams of the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.
The process of public consultation about the draft plans will last for six months and opens the dialogue on water resources protection and fair use to the wider public. The EU4Environment Water and Data programme supports this consultation process in Ukraine. It plays a pivotal role in enhancing Ukrainian stakeholders' capacities to collaboratively assess their river basins, considering the impacts of the ongoing war and outlining necessary measures and associated costs. The programme supports also the preparation of the Strategic Environmental Assessments of the nine River Basin Management Plans.
About EU4Environment - Water Resources and Environmental Data
The programme aims at supporting a more sustainable use of water resources and improving the use of sound environmental data and their availability for policy-makers and citizens. The programme is implemented by the Environment Agency Austria, the Austrian Development Agency, the International Office for Water, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The action is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation and the French Artois-Picardie Water Agency.
The Environment Agency Austria in a nutshell
As Austria´s most important expert organisation for the environment and one of Europe´s leading environmental consultants we are committed to transforming the economy and society in order to ensure sustainable living conditions. Our experts provide the basis for decision making at local, regional and international level. We are committed to transparency and impartiality in our work and we engage in dialogue with politics, administration, business, science and civil society.
