Programme Cooperation Agreement 2012 – 2013

 Transboundary waters resource management (TWRM): development of information systems and policies supporting the transboundary governance of shared water bodies in ODA countries of Eastern Europe

Two international workshops were held during 2013 within the framework of the DLB MP, on ‘Monitoring of surface and groundwater status and protected areas’ and on ‘Im- plementing the economic aspects of the European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD)’. The former includ- ed participants from 8 European countries, 107 whilst the latter, which was co-organised with the REC, specifically targeted participants from the three basin countries.

Lake Drukšiai/Drisviaty Basin Management Programme The transboundary water basin of Drukšiai/ Drisviaty Lake is shared by three countries: Lithuania, Belarus and Latvia. It has interna- tional and local importance as it is a part of the national park, protected nature reserves and NATURA 2000 network sites, which are fully or partly protected by national laws. At the same time the basin is an environmental and security hot spot of high concern, espe- cially in the region of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with its nuclear waste storage and repository facilities and the newly pro- posed Visaginas NPP. In addition, the na- tional boundaries represent barriers for co- operation, implementation of a basin-wide approach and integration of various water management aspects.

Training workshop on: “Implementing the Economic Aspects of the Water Framework Directive (WFD)” in Vilnius, Lithuania on 23rd of May.

GRID-Arendal, together with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) in Hungary, has been managing the project since 2009. The REC is mainly responsible for the content management of the Basin Analysis Report, whereas GRID-Arendal is respon- sible for the overall project management, preparation and facilitation of capacity building events and the GeoIQ tool development and maintenance. In 2012, an official Drukšiai/Drisviaty Lake Basin Man- agement Programme (DLB MP) Website and mapping application was launched 105 with the GeoIQ informa- tion management tool integrated into the site. 106 The tool has been shared with all three basin countries and is intended to stimulate information exchange between the stakeholders (governments, academia, and NGOs) of the basin. As system administrators, GRID-Arendal can see that the site has been used for the creation and analysis of maps and datasets. As a spin-off from the Basin Analysis Report (currently in draft form) new data are now available (pollution sources, ground water sta- tus and more) for the transboundary region, which will be uploaded as maps on the DLB GeoIQ tool for future use by stakeholders.

The Basin Analysis Report has been drafted, based on the work of experts from the three basin countries. Carried out in accordance with EU WFD requirements, the report evaluates the basin’s environmental, social and economic status, in- cluding issues related to nuclear safety, and provides recom- mendations for the further, sound development of integrated water resource management. It has enhanced water resource assessment and reporting systems in the basin countries, improved collaboration between competent authorities, and raised awareness and public participation regarding EU wa- ter policies. However, the project has had to be halted, until the transfer of allocated funds is resumed by UNOPS/UNEP. Dniester River Basin The Dniester River basin, shared by Moldova and Ukraine, is the fifth largest transboundary basin in the Black Sea region. Working jointly with Zöi Environment Network, GRID-Arendal has been involved since 2006 in strength- ening cooperation between Moldova and Ukraine on com- mon environmental issues in the basin. GRID-Arendal has been managing the Information Working Group of Dniester projects, and assisting the two governments in the development and negotiations of the Dniester Treaty, signed on 29 November 2012.

105. http://enrin.grida.no/druksiai/ 106. http://enrin.grida.no/druksiai/maps.aspx. More maps can be reviewed in the GeoIQ tool at http://finder.geoiq.grida.no/ search?model=&query=DLB

107. Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Norway

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