Moldova has been endorsed as a cooperating country in the European Environment Agency’s network, taking the organisation’s coverage to 32 member and seven cooperating countries.
The endorsement was made by the EEA Management Board on Thursday, the EEA announced.
Moldova becomes the seventh cooperating country, joining Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
The EEA said Moldova’s environment is linked to wider European ecosystems, and pointed to an oil spill on the Dniester River that is affecting the wider river basin, including Moldovan territory.
The spill was caused by a Russian attack on a Ukrainian hydropower complex near the border with Moldova.
Moldova’s delegation was unable to attend the Management Board meeting because the country has declared a state of environmental alert over the oil spill.
How the cooperation is expected to work
Cooperating countries can take part in the agency’s work and join its European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) — a partnership that links national bodies to share and develop environmental information.
Moldova’s environment minister, Gheorghe Hajder, said joining the EEA and Eionet would support evidence-based environmental policies, improve environmental data systems and help align Moldova with European standards.
The cooperation will begin with an “onboarding and diagnostic phase” running from 2026 to 2028, including support for Moldova’s institutional and technical foundations and a roadmap for environmental data reporting.
The EU will support the cooperation through its external cooperation programmes.
Moldova applied for EU membership in March 2022, was recognised as a candidate in June 2022, and began accession negotiations in June 2024.
