Environment protection experts convened in a new working meeting
On April 3, 2026, the second meeting of the Environmental Working Groups for the current year was held via videoconference, with the participation of sectoral experts from both banks of the Nistru River.
During the meeting, experts from the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Agency, the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, the Public Institution “Apele Moldovei” National Administration, and the Institute of Forestry Research and Management under the “Moldsilva” Agency addressed topics related to the application of national environmental legislation across the entire country. They also discussed issues concerning surface water pollution caused by the infiltration of harmful inorganic and organic substances, the effective management of ecological crises, protection of atmospheric air, water and aquatic environments, efficient management of the forest fund, and pollutant emissions.
Additionally, the meeting covered aspects related to activities aimed at reducing pollution risks in the Nistru River basin and improving the quality of surface waters, the implementation of projects concerning the reconstruction and construction of wastewater treatment plants, protection of aquatic biological resources, combating poaching, as well as ensuring that economic agents from the left bank of the Nistru River, registered with the Public Services Agency, comply with national environmental regulations.
A separate topic addressed the measures undertaken by Chișinău to manage the ecological crisis caused by pollutant discharges into the Nistru River, as a result of attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. These events generated major risks for the environment and for the security of water supply to the population on both banks of the river. In this context, the importance of international cooperation in crisis management was emphasized, highlighting the immediate positive effects of activating the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, materialized through Romania’s prompt intervention, which provided the necessary support to mitigate environmental impact and strengthen response capacities.
In the context of launching the National Forest Inventory in the Republic of Moldova in 2026, carried out with the financial support of development partners, representatives from Tiraspol were informed about the organizational and technical aspects of the planned activities, as well as the benefits of including the forest fund from the left bank of the Nistru River in the inventory process. In this regard, support was offered for the implementation in the region of afforestation projects aimed at regenerating forest areas and restoring ecosystems, with a focus on degraded lands. For the effective implementation of this initiative, the need to ensure unhindered access for specialists from the Ministry of Environment to the region was emphasized, along with the requirement for Tiraspol to provide all available data regarding infrastructure and the forest fund.
At the same time, regarding the implementation of environmental projects on the left bank of the Nistru River with the assistance of external development partners, it was noted that all related activities are to be carried out exclusively by the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova, which will assume the corresponding international commitments.
At the end of the meeting, experts from Chișinău noted the possibility of implementing infrastructure projects in the Transnistrian region in the near future, including with the support of the Convergence Fund, which will be financed through both internal sources and external assistance, as well as taxes paid by economic agents on the left bank of the Nistru River.
The experts’ meeting was conducted in a constructive manner; openness to information exchange and the resolution of existing environmental protection issues was noted.
