The Ukrainian side decided to stop any works to build hydropower plants in a cascade on the Nistru River until the impact of the environmental strategy in transfrontier context is assessed. On this occasion, acting Prime Minister Pavel Filip said that in all the meetings they had with Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Volodimir Groisman, they discussed the Nistru as common property and the supreme interest to protect the ecosystem of this river, IPN reports.
According to the Government’s press service, as a result of negotiations held in the summer of 2017, Ukraine ratified the Rome Agreement of 2012 concerning cooperation in the conservation of the Nistru. This agreement envisions the creation of a joint commission for the stable use and protection of the Nistru River Basin.
In December 2017, Pavel Filip and Volodimir Groisman signed a common letter to the European Commission, asking for expert assistance in carrying out a broad ecological impact study that would cover the whole Nistru River Basin.
Both of the states implement the Global Environment Fund project “Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the Nistru River Basin” that analyzes the basin of the Nistru River, emphasizing the transfrontier problems and risks. Also, the Embassy of Sweden in Moldova conducted a study of the social and environmental impact of the work of the Nistrean Hydropower Complex on Moldova’s territory.
According to Pavel Filip, these measures will ensure the protection of the Nistru so that this remains a common treasure.
