Both parties gave an overview of the surveys and observation that took place this year. According to Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment Harry Liiv, the Commission assessed the condition of Lake Peipus as being stable. At the meeting, the Estonian and Russian delegations also agreed upon the work schedules for next year, which encompass the monitoring of the Lake Peipus river basin and the Narva River and questions of water management organisation. At the meeting, the Estonian delegation raised the topic of the old Narva River fish spawning grounds restoration project, introducing the main aspects of the project. “The Estonian side wishes to restore water flow to the dry bed of the Narva River, so that fish can use it as a spawning area during the spring," noted Liiv. “This topic has now been included in the agenda and the workgroup will begin to debate it. The next session of the Estonian-Russian Transboundary Commission will take place in Estonia, in September 2012. At the meeting that took place in Pskov, the Russian delegation was led by Marina Seliverstova, Head of the Russia’s Federal Agency for Water Resources. The Estonian delegation was led by Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment Rita Annus. The Estonian-Russian Transboundary Water Commission was established in 1997 after the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on the protection and sustainable use of transboundary water bodies between the Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation. The Commission promotes cross-border cooperation between the governments of the two countries, organises the exchange of monitoring data between the parties and the common methods of measurement, develops the opportunities for cooperation between the scientific and public organisations of both parties and supports the public discussion of problems involving transboundary water bodies. |
