Moldova and Ukraine have pledged to take all necessary measures to prevent, reduce and minimize the potential transboundary impact on the environment. The environment ministers from the two countries signed in Odesa an agreement to this effect.
Moldova’s Minister of Environment Sergiu Lazarencu declared that Russia’s cruel and unjust war in Ukraine causes loss of human lives, affects the economy and the environment. The negative effects of environmental destruction are not limited to borders. “We will work together to reduce the negative effects on the environment and ensure that all social, economic and infrastructure projects will be developed without harming nature”, the official said, as quoted by a press release from the Ministry of Environment.
Ruslan Strelets, Ukraine’s Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said that the signing of the agreement demonstrates the political will to cooperate in accordance with European standards. “We now have a clearly defined procedure for consultations if either party is planning a project that may have a cross-border impact on the environment. This will help us not only to take care of the environment together, but also to avoid problematic cases, such as the construction of the Danube-Black Sea Canal. It took 20 years to settle this dispute between Ukraine and Romania. In December 2023, our countries have finally overcome this problem. Ukraine and Moldova, on their journey to the EU, cannot allow similar cases to happen”, said Ruslan Strelets.
The Ukrainian official added that countries are aware that state borders cannot stop air, water or soil pollution. $60 billion represents the total damage to Ukraine’s environment from Russia’s large-scale aggression. Moldova also felt the consequences, as air masses from the explosions reached our territory.
The agreement signed in Odesa provides for the implementation of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.
