Moldova’s civil society has made a call concerning the negotiation of the agreement on the functioning of the Nistrean (Dnestrovsk) hydroelectric complex and its impact on the basin of the Nistru River. The document addressed to the Governments of Moldova and Ukraine and the foreign partners says the way in which the agreement was drafted and is being negotiated, without consulting civil society and the population, which will be directly and seriously affected during several decades, and the hurry in which this is to be approved, by this yearend, are not in the interests of the people of the two states.
In a news conference at IPN, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy (IPP) Arcadie Barbarosie said the Moldovan-Ukrainian negotiations on this agreement, which have intensified this year, are inaccessible to the public. “I saw a document on which we are to hold talks and this showed that things are not so clear as regards this agreement,” he stated.
The experts consider that if this accord does not undergo essential changes, it will lead to the degradation and destruction of the ecosystems on the lower course of the Nistru and will generate enormous economic costs for identifying alternative sources of drinking water, which can vary between several hundred million to over 1 billion dollars. Under the draft agreement, Moldova will be unable to use water on its territory that has access to the buffer reservoir as the whole bank on Moldova’s side will be leased out to Ukraine for a long period of time and Moldova will not have access to water.
Eco-Tiras Association chairman Iliya Trombistky said the provisions about the payment of compensations for damage caused by this hydroelectric complex (costs of services of lost ecosystems) were removed from the draft agreement. Nothing is said about the six additional hydroelectric plants that are to be built along the upper course of the Nistru by the Ukrainian Government.
IPP expert Ion Efros said this draft agreement deliberately ignores the provisions on environment of the EU- Moldova and EU - Ukraine Association Agreements, especially four Directives, namely the EU Water Framework Directive, the Directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption, the Directive on public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programs relating to the environment and the Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. There are also ignored four Directives that Moldova and Ukraine pledged to obey within the Energy Community Treaty. It is hard to understand why the two states elude the EU environment protection mechanisms after formally committing themselves to modernize, reform and integrate the states into the European legal and economic area and its system of values.
Victor Parlicov, ex-director general of the National Agency for Energy Regulation, said the agreement on the functioning of the Dnestrovsk hydroelectric complex is negotiated in concert with other problems from the bilateral agenda, such as the joint customs posts and the demarcation of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. This accord should be negotiated separately and in the context of the obligations assumed by the states in relation to the EU and by the Energy Community Treaty. Civil society demands to publish the updated draft agreement and to give up the idea of signing the agreement in a hurry and at any cost.
Among the signatories of the call are ex-Premier Ion Sturza, ex-minister and ex-deputy minister of environment Valeriu Munteanu and Dorin Dusciac, leaders of ecological associations Ilia Trombitsky and Alecu Renita and experts Iulian Groza, Dionis Cenusa, Sergiu Tofilat, Veaceslav Ionita, Victor Parlicov, Valentin Lozovanu and others.
