A Ukrainian delegation took part in the second meeting of the Regional Assembly of the EU4Green Recovery East program and thematic events on water management in Paris. The main outcome was the identification of practical approaches that Ukraine can apply when implementing European water legislation, preparing the second cycle of river basin management plans, and developing basin-level governance.
Support from the EU4Green Recovery East program helps Ukraine adapt its legislation to EU requirements and adopt practical water resource management tools that have already proven effective in European countries.
In Paris, Ukrainian representatives studied the work of French basin institutions, participated in seminars on the functioning of basin councils and the management of emerging pollutants, and visited the Artois-Picardie Water Agency.
The delegation focused primarily on the French model of basin governance, which has formed the foundation of the country’s water policy for more than half a century. France pioneered the basin approach to water resource management, which later became the basis of the EU Water Framework Directive. In French basin committees, decisions are made jointly by representatives of the state, local authorities, farmers, industry, water users, scientists, and civil society.
The delegation also studied French practices in implementing river basin management plans — documents referred to in France as the “bible of water users.” Their goal is to achieve good ecological status of water bodies in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive; failure to meet these requirements may result in sanctions from the European Union.
French experts presented Ukraine with an economic model of water resource management based on the “polluter pays” principle: funds paid by water users are directed toward infrastructure modernization and other measures within river basins. Particular attention is given to climate change adaptation, the reuse of treated wastewater, and nature-based solutions for water storage.
For its part, the Ukrainian delegation presented its own developments in integrated water resource management, including the work of basin councils, which bring together representatives of government authorities, water users, scientists, and civil society to coordinate decisions on river basin management.
The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine noted that further development of water governance in Ukraine should rely not only on the implementation of European legislation but also on the active involvement of stakeholders, transparent decision-making, and long-term water resource management planning — principles that have already proven their effectiveness in France and other EU countries.
