From 30 June to 3 July, representatives from the Eastern Partnership partner countries, the European Commission, EU Member States and implementing organisations of the EU-funded programme EU4Green Recovery East gathered in Paris and Douai for the Programme’s second Regional Assembly. The Regional Assembly, the highest governance mechanism of the EU4Green Recovery East programme, was embedded in a series of technical workshops and study visits dedicated to sustainable and participatory water management.
The Regional Assembly gathering marked the completion of the programme's first year and a half of implementation. Participants reviewed progress achieved since January 2025 by a combination of analytical work, policy recommendations, capacity building, and support for concrete implementation measures. The discussions took stock of progress, highlighted future priorities for EU4Green Recovery East and pointed out areas requiring closer attention.
The meeting was opened by remarks from the EU Commission (Angela Bularga, DG ENEST and Andrzej Januszewski DG Environment), as well as by interventions from representatives of Armenia (Lilit Abrhamyan, Head of the Water Policy Department, Ministry of Environment), the Republic of Moldova (Victoria Gratii, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment) and Ukraine (Viktor Kantsurak, Deputy Head of the State Agency of Water Resources).. The interventions by the partner country representatives highlighted the relevance of EU4Green Recovery East for advancing a green transition, alignment with the EU-acquis and sustainable water management across the Eastern Partnership region.
Two technical workshops complemented the Regional Assembly. The first focused on River Basin Councils, highlighting the rationale for inclusive governance structures and for involving stakeholders in river basin management. The second workshop fostered knowledge on emerging pollutants - including PFAS, microplastics and pharmaceutical residues - and showcased good practices for micro-pollutant management in wastewater systems.
An excursion to the Artois-Picardie Water Agency in Douai provided an opportunity for sharing experience with French practitioners on river basin management, as France has a strong history of river basin governance. The topics of the lively exchange covered aspects of governance, river basin planning, water abstraction/pollution fees, monitoring systems and financial support mechanisms.
Also in Douai, participants were exposed to a range of practical examples for transforming urban infrastructure towards a sponge city. Urban surfaces can be unsealed by low-cost practical measures to function as infiltration areas, thereby reducing the risks of floods while also conserving precious water resources in the face of climate change. The tour through the outdoor showroom of infiltration innovations was led by the local non-profit ADOPTA, specialized in this topic.
The week concluded with a visit to the Paris Sewer Museum, where participants discovered how integrated wastewater management has contributed to protecting public health and improving the quality of the Seine over more than a century. The visit illustrated the long-term benefits of combining engineering, environmental protection and sustainable urban planning.
The four-days of meetings and excursions combined high-level policy discussions across the components of the EU4Green Recovery East programme with analytical aspects of EU water governance, as well as practical perspectives of stakeholders. By bringing together policy-makers from the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries, Commission representatives, and technical experts from the consortium of EU4Green Recovery East, the week of the Regional Assembly reinforced a solid partnership for green transition.
