1. Transboundary cooperation in the Dniester River basin
Madrid – Lisbon
19-23 November 2018

2. The Dniester basin – general information
Riparians: Moldova, Poland, Ukraine
Length – 1380 km
Area – 72,9 K km2, incl. 73,5% in Ukraine, 26,2 % in Moldova and 0,3% in Poland
9th largest river in Europe, the biggest one in Moldova, 4th largest in Ukraine
Annual discharge - 10,2 km³
Rich diversity of landscapes, habitats, animal and plant

3. Socio-economic development in the basin
The basin hosts:
56 % of area of the Republic of Moldova, 2 municipal and 41 cities and towns (incl. the capital city Chisinau)
Considerable area of 7 (out of 24) obslasts of Ukraine, incl. 62 cities and towns
Ca. 8 mln people (110 pers/km2), incl. 2,74 mln in Moldova and 5 mln in Ukraine
3,5 mln people beyond the basin consume the Dniester water

4. Ramsar wetlands in the Dniester River basin
Moldova:
Ungur-Holosnica (2005) – 15,553 ha, borders with Vinnitsa oblast in Ukraine. 49 mammal sp., 205 bird sp., 96 reptile sp., 9 amphibian sp.
Lower Dniester (2003) 60,000 ha, borders Odesa oblast of Ukraine. Hosts 80% of birds sp. Of Moldova, 57 fish sp.
Ukraine:
Northern Part of the Dniester Liman (1994)
Intersction of the Turunchuk and the Dniester branch

5. Hydopower in the Dniester
Dubossary HPP (commissioned in1953)
Dam – 30 m high, 133 m long
Reservoir - 3,6 bln3 (1/2 silted), 528 m wide, 128 km long,
Installed capacity - 48 MW
Dniester-1 HPP (commissioned in )
Dam  m long, 100 m high
Reservoir - 3,6 bln3, 1 km wide, 194 km long
Installed capacity  MW
Dniester-2 HPP (commissioned in ) – buffer
Dam – 84 m high, 859 m long
Reservoir m3, 20 km long
Installed capacity – 40,8 MW
Dniester Pumping Plant (commissioned in cnt’d)
Dam -  7.3 km long, m high
Reservoir km3 
Installed capacity MW (pumping), 2268 MW (turbining)

6. Nature-related challenges in the Dniester
Hydropower: insufficient mutual understanding of flow regulation considering ecological flows and water use
Pollution: insufficient efficacy of sewerage purification and lack of good agricultural practices
Degradation of floodplains, sand and gravel extraction, loss of biodiversity
Climate change

7. Key steps of bilateral cooperation
Cooperation on cross-border waters (not basin) based on the Institute of Plenipotentiaries (ref. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Ukraine on Joint Use and Protection of Cross-boundary Waters (1994)
A transit period based on a basin-wide principle joint management (a series of donors-funded projects)
Cooperation based on a joint Commission (ref. the Treaty on Cooperation in the Field of Protection and Sustainable Development of the Dniester River Basin (2012)

8. The Institute of Plenipotentiaries (1994)
The Institute of the Plenipotentiaries is a mechanism for implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of Ukraine on Joint Use and Protection of Cross-boundary Waters (1994)
Key achievements:
Spring ecological flush flows
Flood prevention and protection
Emergency pollution of cross-border waters
Hydrological and ecological monitoring at the border sites
Challenges:
The Agreement covers only cross-border sections of the river and does not cover the whole basin
Limited cross-sectoral participation (only 1-2 sectors)

9. Bilateral Dniester River Basin Commission
The Treaty on Cooperation in the Field of Protection and Sustainable Development of the Dniester River Basin was signed in Rome in 2012 (at the UNECE Water Convention MOP)
Ratified by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in January 2013, by the Parliament of Ukraine in June 2017
Covers the whole basin, a multi- stakeholder platform

10. Bilateral Dniester River Basin Commission
The first bilateral Commission meeting took place in Chisinau, Moldova on 17th September 2018
Key results:
Adopted Rules of Procedures of the bilateral Dniester River Basin Commission
Established working groups (ToRs agreed on):
Strategic
River basin management planning and
management
Emergency situations
Monitoring and information exchange
Ecosystems and biodiversity

11. National water-related legislation
Moldovan Law on Water (2011) and Ukrainian Water Code of Ukraine (2016) integrate provisions of the EU WFD
Additional documents / methodologies (ref. WFD) developed and adopted in both Riparians
A list of members of the national Dniester Committees / Councils approved (2014 in Moldova and 2018 in Ukraine)
Dniester basin national RBMPs have been developed and approved (2017 in Moldova) or are being developed (in Ukraine)

12. UNDP/GEF/OSCE project “Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the Dniester River Basin”
Based on a series of projects supported by the UNECE, OSCE and ENVSEC Initiative in
The GEF projects supports:
Development of elements of the Dniester RBMP (according to the art. 5 of the EU WFD)
Development of a joint Programme of Measures (according to the EU WFD) which is to become a political document for joint actions
Support to the Moldovan-Ukrainian Dniester River basin Commission (organization of the bilateral meetings, a study tour to the Albufeira Commission, stakeholders engagement)
Support to a discussion and commenting of the operation rules of the Dniester hydropower (incl. pumping) plants, and impacts assessment of the hydropower sector on water use and ecosystems
Demo projects (small rivers restoration, support to fish diversity)
Public awarenness and communication

13. Future plans and challenges of transboundary cooperation
Transition to the Integrated Water Resources Management in the Dniester basin
Basin-wide approach to transboundary management and conservation
Integration of the approaches set in the EU WFD, Directive on Sewage, Nitrate Directive, Flood Directive, Habitats and Birds directives
Support to the bilateral Dniester River Basin Commission and its working groups

14. Thank YOU for attention and hospitality!
Welcome to the Dniester!