Ukraine Notifies Romania On Renewed Delta Canal Plan

Ukraine has formally notified the Romanian authorities on its plans to extend the Danube-Black Sea deep-water navigation canal (the “Bystroe Canal Project”), Romania’s Environment Ministry said Friday.

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It said the notification is in accordance with the requirements of the Espoo Convention.

The 1991 Espoo Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) commits signatories to consult their neighbors on development projects that could have cross-border environmental impact.

Ukraine started works at the Bystroe Canal in 2004 without formally notifying Romania.

The European Union has repeatedly asked Ukraine to halt the project, as has Romania and the United States, along numerous ecologic organizations.

Romania said mid-August that Ukraine decided to reverse its decision to carry on with the second stage of works at Bystroe Canal.

“Romania salutes Ukraine’s decision as a step forward towards observing international conventions in the field,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry said at the time.

It said Ukraine annulled its unilateral decision of December 2007 to carry on with the works at the Bystroe Canal on August 11, following the non-compliance decision issued by the parties to the UNECE convention on environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context (the Espoo convention).

The Romanian Foreign Ministry said it has received a copy of the annulling act.

The parties to the 2008 Espoo Convention, which took place in Bucharest between May 19 and May 21, said Ukraine failed to observe the provisions concerning the Bystroe Canal and sent a non-compliance decision to the authorities in Kiev.

Ukraine also received a warning not to carry on works at Bystroe Canal, which would have significant adverse transboundary effects on the environment.

The participants in the Convention invited Ukraine to carry on negotiations with neighboring countries, to cooperate in drawing bilateral agreements and to send reports to the Convention on its cooperation progress with neighboring states, “and with Romania in particular.”

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