Economic and Environmental Implementation Meeting Vienna, 29 October 2024 - Opening Statement

Economic and Environmental Implementation Meeting

Vienna, 29 October 2024

EU Opening Statement

Taking stock of the implementation of the OSCE commitments in the field of water management

1. The European Union places great value on the Economic and Environmental Dimension as an integral part of the OSCE's comprehensive approach to security. The European Union is therefore pleased to take part in the 2024 Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meeting and thanks the Chairpersonship of Malta and the team of the Office of the Coordinator for Economic and Environmental Activities for the organisation of the meeting. We warmly welcome the keynote speakers to our meeting and thank them for their valuable and insightful contributions.
2. Fostering good governance in the field of water management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as promoting sustainable water management to contribute to stability and security and environmental protection and disaster risk reduction within the OSCE area, is a priority for the European Union and its Member States.
3. The EU welcomes the adoption of the decision on the 2024 EEDIM. We reiterate the importance of mandated events taking place across all three dimensions, and reiterate our regret that the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting could not take place in its mandated format again this year.
4. The topic chosen for this year’s EEDIM is of crucial importance in light of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression, which has had a profound environmental and economic impact in Ukraine and beyond, including the Black Sea region. We are deeply concerned about the sustained damage to farmlands, water supply and sewage systems, along with the long-lasting damage to valuable ecosystems, biodiversity and marine sites. These includes areas impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) dam in the Kherson region, as well as the alleged deliberate contamination of the Desna River. More than 650km of the river appear to have been polluted, marking an unprecedented disaster. The weaponisation of the environment violates international law. Military equipment and toxic chemicals in the water, soil and the air could persist for decades, posing long-term risks to human health, societies, ecosystems and biodiversity.
5. The OSCE should continue providing support to Ukrainian citizens and authorities in order to minimise economic and environmental threats to security, including through the Assessment of the Environmental impacts of the War against Ukraine ExB Project. We underline the need to assess the damage and are committed to addressing it in the context of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. Russia and its leadership must and will be held accountable for all the crimes committed and the massive destruction caused by its war of aggression against Ukraine.
6. The EU recognises that transboundary water cooperation is intrinsically related to climate adaptation and resilience. Due to their transboundary nature, the climate and water crisis, also has linkages to peace and security. Solutions to transboundary water problems, hence need to be found in bilateral or regional dialogue, agreements and institutional frameworks. In this regard, the 10^th UN Water Convention meeting in Ljubljana took place on 23-25 October which was celebrated under the heading “Our Waters, our Future: Transboundary Water Cooperation to Power Climate Resilience”. The Water Convention is a unique international legal instrument and intergovernmental platform to promote the sustainable use of transboundary water resources and facilitate cooperation, and shows how a European good practice within climate related water governance is being leveraged at global scale. Initially negotiated as a regional instrument for Europe (at large), it was opened up for accession to all UN Member States in 2016. Since then, countries all over the world have started acceding the Water Convention. We also welcome the OSCE’s support to cooperation between Moldova and Ukraine for the sustainable use and protection of the Dniester River basin, another excellent example of the importance of transboundary water management.
7. We strongly believe that promoting sustainable water management and fostering good governance in water management, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation should remain high on the OSCE agenda and a priority for its work. The EU reaffirms its commitment to advancing cooperation on these issues and strengthening the work of the OSCE second dimension to achieve comprehensive security. In this regard, we pleased to invite you to a Side Event during today’s lunch break, co-organised with the Hungarian EU Presidency, on “Addressing Water Security Challenges in the OSCE region, with a particular focus on Central Asia”.