"Air and Water do not stop at the border" Eastern Partnership Informal Ministerial Dialogue on Environment - Main contents

Today I am in Minsk, for the first Eastern Partnership dialogue on the environment. It was very clear that the EU and its Eastern neighbours share common ground. With my colleague Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations we examined how we can establish common ground. Air and water, and their quality, do not stop at the border. So to have this first step in coordination on the environment, with our eastern neighbours, was most welcome.

The brief summary of our meeting is a positive one: it is very clear that the EU and its Eastern neighbours share common ground.

I literally mean that in both senses of the word. We discovered today how much common ground we share in policy and plans. But we also quite literally share the ground. We share regional seas, we share many rivers and also, we share the rich animal and plant life that is in constant movement across our borders.

At the same time we also share common challenges, such as air pollution, water pollution and biodiversity loss.

Therefore, today the European Union and Ministers from our partner countries reaffirm their commitment to developing cooperation in the field of environment. We have emphasised that the environment should remain an important focus area of future cooperation in the Eastern Partnership. Politically, because of the global context, this is the right time to enrich our cooperation.

Within the Eastern Partnership we should focus on air quality, water management, marine issues and nature protection, as some of the most urgent challenges.

Internationally we need to work together on the Sustainable Development Goals. This year we have a crucial opportunity to make a difference on poverty eradication and sustainable development.

And both our regional and our international approach should recognise that economic, social and environmental development cannot be disconnected from each other.

The EU and the Eastern Partners are important players in this process, so we will continue our dialogue as the negotiations progress.

For our action to have true impact, however, I have made the point that we need to take a more strategic and integrated approach, which should be endorsed at ministerial level. And we should define some clear common objectives, as this will mobilize actors and attract donors and investors.

Moreover we should make progress in implementing the multilateral environmental agreements that already exist between our countries. The Eastern Partnership is an appropriate platform for that.

For better environmental governance we will strive to mainstream environmental considerations into all policy areas and to involve all stakeholders, including civil society organisations, into our action. To that end, my experts are meeting local environmental organisations later today.

The EU has a rich experience of multilateral cooperation and we are happy to share it. We can offer best practices and a flexible legislative framework that could be used as a model. We also offer technical and financial support.

In this context I am pleased to announce that the EU is preparing, in consultation with the Eastern Partnership countries, new multilateral support programmes which will better address the specific needs of each partner country.

We remain committed to the Eastern Partnership and are ready to meet again in the near future to carry our work forward. We share common ground, now let's work together to make sure that this common ground is home for cleaner air, healthier water, and stronger environment.

(These comments were first made in press conference address at close of Eastern Partnership Confernece, Minsk, 29 June 2015)