The European Union assists Moldovan national institutions to improve surface water monitoring

Due to support from the European Union, water monitoring in Moldova has been improved over the last years. Relevant institutions received modern equipment and their experts underwent specialised training. Moldovan and EU experts have worked together in this process. 

The most recent field training on biological monitoring of the surface water of small rivers from Prut River Basin was conducted on 17-21 July 2023. The field survey was organized jointly by Austrian Development Agency and the Austrian Environmental Agency, which are working together with the national institutions in the Republic of Moldova to support them in order to further comply with EU Water Framework Directive. This work is carried out under the framework of the water component of the “European Union for Environment” programme that involves Moldova and other Eastern Partnership countries.

The field survey was conducted by the representatives of the Environmental Agency and was focused on taking biological samples together with abiotic and chemical analysis. It is very important to know the water quality in the rivers since water plays a vital role in human life. We all use water daily, and these rivers are used for irrigation, livestock watering, and various other purposes.

Ecological monitoring is so important because it does not only look at abiotic parameters, but at the ecosystem in total. If only analysing abiotic parameters, like for example chemistry, it will only show something about the moment when taking the sample. But all the animals and plants that are living inside the water are there every day, every month, the whole year. So, if there is a pressure occurring in the ecosystem, they will be submitted to this pressure and they will react. Thus, every pressure will change the species composition and the abundance of these animals and these plants.

The EU experts are helping their Moldovan counterparts to understand and apply the EU requirements toward the monitoring of surface waters. This field survey was focused on the rivers which have not been studied previously. The results of the survey will lead to accurate results for the River Basin Management Plans, especially for the Prut River Basin, so that measures can be taken to improve the water quality in the river.

The new gained knowledge will help national authorities to develop the Methodology on biological monitoring. It will also lead to more accurate results for the surface water management plan, especially for the Prut River, so that measures can be taken to improve the water quality in the river.

This information will enable improved decision making. Also, every citizen will be able to access better information about water quality and be more careful with the health or our rivers. 

There are also investments made to reduce pressures on rivers, for example improved waste management across the entire country. The EU provides significant support for such investments. 

EU4Environment Water Resources and Environmental Data Programme aims at improving people’s wellbeing in EU’s Eastern Partner Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) and enabling their green transformation in line with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals. The programme’s activities are clustered around two specific objectives: 1) support a more sustainable use of water resources and 2) improve the use of sound environmental data and their availability for policy-makers and citizens.