A Strong Partnership for a Sustainable Future
EU4Green Recovery East: Advancing Environmental Progress in the Eastern Partnership
The EU4Green Recovery East programme is deepening cooperation between the EU and five countries of the EU Eastern Partnership - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine – to support their approximation to EU environmental standards. The first kick-off events in the region have paved the way for this enhanced transnational cooperation.
Since the beginning of 2025, a consortium of six partners, led by the Environment Agency Austria (EAA) has been working on the following topics in these countries:
- circular economy
- water management
- adoption of EU legislation to protect the natural environment and resources
- digitization of environmental data and data exchange with the EU
- implementation of international commitments in the environmental sector
Building on roughly a decade of cooperation, the EAA will continue to collaborate with stakeholders in the five Eastern Partnership countries based on EU funding of EUR 21.3 million until 2028. The programme will improve the state of the environment based on EU standards.
A track record of impact
The new initiative succeeds two previous, successful programmes—European Water Initiative Plus (2016–2021) and EU4Environment: Water Resources and Environmental Data (2021–2025)—which jointly delivered nearly 30 river basin management plans across the region in line with the EU Water Framework Directive. Another highlight of the previous phase is the trilateral management agreement on the Prut River between Moldova, Romania and Ukraine, marking a significant step in cross-border water governance.
With years of trustful collaboration between the EAA and the governmental institutions in the Eastern Partnership countries, the new programme is well positioned to build on the momentum of the previous intiatives and to introduce innovative approaches to ecological challenges.
Green, inclusive and resilient approach
In addition to the management of water resources, new components have been added to the programme. These include the promotion of circular economy, with a focus on sustainable value chains of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the approximation to the EU environmental aquis. The experts are thus not only addressing urgent ecological challenges in the region, but also the sustainable utilization of resources in combination with economic development.
EU4Green Recovery East will develop sustainable solutions jointly with the Eastern Partnership countries that pave the way for resilient societies in which economic growth and environmental protection are not at odds with each other.
Key focus areas of the programme:
- Promoting Circular Economy: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to adopt sustainable production processes and drive innovation. In Moldova, strategies are being developed for recycling secondary resources such as electronic waste and plastics.
- Improving Water Management: River basin water management plans are implemented, along with EU regulations to protect water resources. In this context monitoring water quality will continue to be a key priority. Ukraine has made significant progress in developing water management plans with integrated environmental and climate data.
- Upholding EU Environmental Standards and Integration: Alignment with EU environmental legislation is crucial for the ecological and economic transformation of the region. EU regulations serve as a reference for gradual integration into the EU market and for the protection of natural resources. Several partner countries are continuously adapting their laws to meet EU standards.
- Strengthening Cooperation and Data Exchange: Environmental measures will be monitored and managed, with digitalization of environmental and climate data playing a central role.
- Expanding International Cooperation: The UNECE Water Convention supports the protection and sustainable use of transboundary water resources. Ukraine and Moldova are intensifying joint water protection projects. Regional challenges related to water, climate change, and security are also being addressed.
Background Information
The EU4Green Recovery East is a regional programme supporting the EU’s Eastern Partnership region. The programme is implemented by six partners: Expertise France with the French International Office for Water (OiEau), OECD, UNECE, UNIDO, and the Environment Agency Austria (EAA), as the consortium lead.
