Ukraine Adopts Nine River Basin Management Plans: A Major Milestone Towards Sustainable Water Management
Ukraine, one of the 15 ICPDR contracting parties, has officially adopted all its nine River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs), marking a significant step towards sustainable water management in line with European Union (EU) and international standards.
Supported by the EU4Environment – Water Resources and Environmental Data programme, these plans outline key strategies and actions to protect and manage the country’s river basins.
Adoption of Nine River Basin Management Plans
In November and December 2024, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers approved all its nine RBMPs covering the Danube, Dniester, Dnipro, Don, Southern Bug, Black Sea, Azov Sea, Vistula, and Crimean River basins. The nine RBMPs collectively cover over 600,000 km² (approximately the size of France) and will benefit over 40 million Ukrainians. These plans include programmes of measures aimed at reducing local pollution and restoring river ecosystems, with an estimated investment need of €7.7 billion (€7.3 billion for the eight adopted RBMPs), or approximately €32 per inhabitant per year over six years. Notably, 70% of these measures focus on improving sanitation infrastructure.
The preparation of these comprehensive and data-rich RBMPs - each spanning thousands of data points - is a remarkable achievement given the challenges of scattered information sources and the ongoing situation of war. These plans directly address major water management issues, such as urban and industrial wastewater, agricultural water abstraction, and ecosystem health, putting Ukraine on a solid path towards alignment with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).
Of particular relevance to the ICPDR is the Danube River Basin Management Plan, which encompasses the Tisza, Prut, and Danube Delta sub-basins, and plays a crucial role for the sustainable management of the Danube and its tributaries in Ukraine.
EU Support for RBMP Development
The RBMPs were developed by Ukrainian water experts with technical guidance and financial support from the European Union, notably through the EU Water Initiative+ (2016–2021) and the EU4Environment – Water and Environmental Data programme (2021–2024). These plans follow a basin-wide approach, ensuring integrated management of all surface and groundwater resources rather than focusing on individual water user sectors.
Public consultations from December 2023 to June 2024 ensured that stakeholder perspectives and local insights were incorporated into the final drafts. While the national water quality database is still developing, future monitoring efforts - bolstered by ongoing EU support - will enable better assessments of improvements or deteriorations in environmental and chemical status, leading to even more targeted measures in future updates of the plans.
Ukraine’s Water Challenges and EU Integration
As Europe’s largest country, Ukraine faces diverse water challenges across its regions. While the Carpathian region is water-rich, parts of the south and east suffer from freshwater scarcity. Aligning its water management policies with EU standards has been a key objective since signing the EU Association Agreement in 2017. Ukraine’s EU candidate status, granted in 2022, has further accelerated these reforms. In December 2023, the European Council approved the opening of EU accession negotiations, acknowledging the country’s progress in environmental governance. This milestone demonstrates Ukraine’s resilience and dedication to sustainability, even amidst the challenges of war.,
A Remarkable Achievement Amidst Challenges
Ukraine’s RBMPs are now among the most advanced in the region, approaching compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) - comparable to the first-generation RBMPs of EU Member States. This accomplishment underscores the determination and expertise of Ukraine’s water management professionals, who have continued to deliver high-quality work under extraordinary conditions.
The preparation and publication of these RBMPs was made possible thanks to the dedicated support of EU4WD experts from France and Austria, whose years of technical guidance and financial contributions were instrumental in achieving this milestone. Their commitment has helped Ukraine take a major step forward in water governance, ensuring a greener and more sustainable future for its people and ecosystems.
We use this opportunity to salute the resilience of our Ukrainian colleagues who, despite the dire circumstances, attend most of our ICPDR plenaries and participate actively in the work of our expert groups. Their unwavering commitment and dedication are a testament to their professionalism and their crucial role in the protection of the Danube River and its tributaries.
For more details, visit:
Summary factsheets on the Ukrainian RBMPs
Full RBMP documents (Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine)
Source: EU4Environment – Water and Data
