National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Conven tion on Persistent Organic Pollutants All rights reserved First published 2004 Produced for the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the World Bank Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources 9, Cosmonauþilor str., MD-2005, Chiºinãu Tel: (+ 373 22) 20-45-07 Fax: (+ 373 22) 22-68-58 e-mail: egreta@mediu.moldova.md Home page: www.moldova.md www.cim.moldova.md Co-ordinated by the World Bank/GEF Project “Enabling Activities related to the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Republic of Moldova”, tel/fax: (+ 373 22) 22-62-54, e-mail: aisac@moldovapops.md, Web site: www.moldovapops.md The project team: Andrei Isac, Project Manager; Ion Barbãrasã, Chief Technical Advisor; Elena Muntean, Assistant The National Implementation Plan was developed based on the Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention, signed on May, 23, 2001 and entered into force on May, 17, 2004. According to the provisions of the Convention, each Party shall develop and endeavour to implement a plan for the implementation of its obligations under this Convention. This publication it is composed of the full version of the National Implementation Plan, as of May 2004. Publishing & Printing Enterprise ªtiinþa Academiei str., 3. MD 2028, Chiºinãu, Moldova Tel. (+373 22) 73-96-16 Fax (+373 22) 73-96-26 e-mail: prini@stiinta.asm.md © The World Bank, 2004 © The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Moldova, 2004 © E.P.E. ªtiinþa, 2004 CZU 614.7:574 (094) R 46 Descrierea CIP a Camerei Naþionale a Cãrþii REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA. National implementation plan for the Stockholm Convention on persistent orga nic pollutants. – Ch. Î.E.P. ªtiinþa, 2004 (Combinatul Poligr.). – 80 p. ISBN 9975-67-446-1 614.7: 574 (094) GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA DECISION nr.1155 from 20 October 2004 Chisinau on the approval of the National Strategy on the reduction and elimination of persistent organic pollutants and the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants In order to reduce and eliminate the impact of the persistent organic pollutants on the environment and human health, to implement the Stockholm Convention provisions and to create an efficient system of chemical safety, the Government DECIDES: 1. To approve: The National Strategy on the reduction and elimination of the persistent organic pollutants, annex nr.1; The National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, an nex nr.2. 2. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Health will collaborate with the in ternational institutions and donor countries for obtaining technical assistance and financial support in order to harmonize the environmental protection and public health policies and for the achievement of the provi sions of the mentioned Strategy and Plan. 3. The ministries, the departments, the public administration authorities and the involved institutions will undertake the necessary measures for the achievement of the planned actions and will present annually, according to the established procedure, to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources the information regarding the results of implementation of the nominated Strategy and Plan. 4. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has been assigned co-ordnating and control func tions for carrying out the Strategy and Plan, for information generalization and for annual presentation of the synthesized report to the Government. Prime-minister of the Republic of Moldova VASILE TARLEV TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.....................................................................................................................4 FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................................5 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................6 SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................................7 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................12 COUNTRY PROFILE ...................................................................................................................15 2.1. General Issues...................................................................................................................................15 2.2. Environmental Overview ....................................................................................................................16 2.3. Institutional Framework for Environmental Management...................................................................18 NIP PRINCIPLES AND DEVELOPMENT......................................................................................19 ASSESSMENT OF THE POPs ISSUES IN THE COUNTRY ..........................................................21 4.1. Existing POPs-related Legal and Regulatory Framework..................................................................21 4.2. Current POPs Management, Monitoring and Control ........................................................................23 4.3. Assessment of POPs Pesticides Issues ............................................................................................24 4.4. Assessment of PCBs Issues..............................................................................................................26 4.5. Assessment of DDT Issues................................................................................................................29 4.6. Assessment of Unintended POPs Releases (PCDD/PCDF, HCB and PCBs)...................................29 4.7. Requirements for Exemptions............................................................................................................31 4.8. Existing Monitoring Programs ............................................................................................................31 4.9. Economic Assessment.......................................................................................................................33 4.10. Impacts of POPs on Public Health and the Environment...................................................................35 4.11. Social Assessment and Activities of Non-Governmental Organizations ............................................36 STRATEGY.................................................................................................................................38 Country Strategy ................................................................................................................................39 ACTION PLAN ............................................................................................................................43 6.1. Priority Setting....................................................................................................................................43 6.2. Proposed Actions ...............................................................................................................................45 IMPLEMENTATION, EVALUATION AND UPDATING ..................................................................55 ANNEXES ...................................................................................................................................59 Annex 1: Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Activities ......................................................................59 Annex 2: Capacity Building ................................................................................................................61 Annex 3: On-ground Remediation Measures.....................................................................................66 Annex 4: Public Awareness, Training and Education.........................................................................69 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Government of the Republic of Moldova acknowledges the World Bank for its assistance in obtaining the GEF support for the Enabling Activities for the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention and for the full size Persistent Organic Pollutants Stockpiles Management Project. This publication is a result of a collaborative effort and was prepared during the implementation of the World Bank/GEF Project “Enabling Activities related to the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Orga nic Pollutants (POPs) in the Republic of Moldova” with the support of the Ministry of the Ecology and Natural Re sources, international and national experts. We are most grateful to Rita Klees, Task Team Leader, ESSD, and Arcadie Capcelea, Environmental Consultant, the World Bank, for their support and encouraging that work. For their creativity and co-ordination of the entire preparatory process, we express our gratitude to Valeriu Mosanu, Ruslan Melian, Valentin Arion, Elena Bivol and Valentin Ciubotaru, national experts, and Viktor Simoncic (Slovenia), Andrei Barannik (United States) and Katarina Magulova (Slovak Republic), international experts. That document was developed due to the contribution and support of all below listed persons: The National Co-ordination Committee: Gheorghe Duca, Acad., Prof., President of AS Constantin Mihailescu, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Liudmila Marduhaeva, National Focal Point Lucreþia Ciurea, MOF Nicolae Danilov, MAFI Petru Groza, MOI Ilie Timofte, ME Ion ªalaru, MOH Ghenadie Primovici, MOTC Elena ªubina, MOE Ion Copãceanu, DOC Elena Pentilie, DOSM Pavel Vlad, AS Maria Gonþa, NGO Chimeco Elena Zubcov, NGO Ecotox Representatives of institutions, NGOs and national experts: Sergiu Covaliu Violeta Ivanov Mihai Iftodi Maria Nagornîi Tatiana Þugui Tatiana Pleºco Arcadie Zagorodniuc Larisa Gheorghiev Nicolae Opopol ªtefan Stasiev Alecu Reniþã Tamara Guvir Jana Tafi Alexandru Stratulat Viorica Gladchi Vlad Garaba Constantin Mogoreanu Victor Strãtilã Lidia Romanciuc Victor Cotruþã Pavel Zamfir Anatol Tãrîþã Gavril Gîlcã Marius Þãranu Ghenadie Sirodoev Mihail Coca Victoria Reºetnic Anna Cumanova Ion Comendant Alexandru Musteaþã Special thanks go to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Environment Direc torate, to Brendan Gillespie, Robert Visser and Angela Bularga, as well as to James Willis, UNEP Chemicals for their contribution and methodological support. FOREWORD During the last decade the problem of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) was placed on the envi ronmental agenda of the Republic of Moldova as part of toxic substances and waste management pro grammes. Since 2001, after the signing of the Stockholm Convention, it was defined as a separate field of actions, which became a priority one among the main environmental issues of the country. At the same time, sound management of persistent organic pollutants was considered an essential pre condition for economic growth. The Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy of Moldova un derlines the link between the environment, health and the impact of POPs, proposing special urgent mea sures in order to solve these problems. In dealing with POPs, the country must follow a process that includes developing a clear understanding of the situation, setting priorities and establishing realistic objectives for actions. The Preparation of the Moldova National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the Stockholm Convention followed such a process uti lizing a participatory approach whereby all interested partners in society (national and local government, economy, science, energy, agriculture, education, NGOs) had an active role in the decision-making and as sumed their full share of responsibility for the NIP. Broad involvement was ensured through the free flow of information, participation in workshops and consultative meetings, consideration for the views of indi viduals and stackeholders groups, affirmation of the partnership principle, and awareness-raising cam paigns. To achieve maximal efficiency continued efforts have to be planned to integrate and update, as need ed, NIP activities into relevant national (economic and environmental) and international environmental activities. The NIP will become an efficient tool in solving the POPs problems in the country and will lay the groundwork for an environmentally sound chemicals management system in the Republic of Moldova. Despite the existing difficult economic situation, the Republic of Moldova is committed to fulfilling its obligation regarding POPs under the Stockholm Convention. This will require increased internal institu tional and financial resources and the mobilization of international assistance. The World Bank, which fi nanced preparation of the NIP, through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is currently assisting the Republic of Moldova in preparing a POPs Stockpile Management Project. Joint efforts such as this will be crucial to the success of the NIP in promoting a safe environment and protecting public health as part of the sustainable development of the country. Constantin Mihailescu Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Edward Brown Country Manager The World Bank Country Office, Moldova Basel – The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal BAT – Best Available Techniques BEP – Best Available Practices CCM – Center for Chemicals Management CIS/NIS – Commonwealth of Independent States/Newly Independent States CLRTAP (POPs) – Convention On Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, Protocol on Persis tent Organic Pollutants CPM – Center for Preventive Medicine DDE – Dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethilene DDT – Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethan DES – Department for Emergency Situations DOC – Department of Customs EBRD – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment ESSD – Environmentally and Socially Sustain able Development EU – European Union FDI – Foreign Direct Investment FSU – Former Soviet Union GDP – Gross Domestic Product GEF – Global Environment Facility GRM – Government of the Republic of Moldova HCB – Hexachlorbenzene HIPC – World Bank-IMF Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative HMS – Hydrometeorological Service IBRD – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IDA – International Development Association IMF – International Monetary Fund LRTAP – Convention on Long-range Trans boundary Air Pollution MAC – Maximum Allowable Concentration MAFI – Ministry of Agriculture and Food Indus try MDL – Moldovan Leu (national currency) ME – Ministry of Energy MECTD – Ministry of Ecology, Construction and Territorial Development MENR – Ministry of Ecology and Natural Re sources MFA – Ministry of Foreign Affairs MIA – Ministry of Internal Affairs MOD – Ministry of Defense MOE – Ministry of Economy MOH – Ministry of Health MOI – Ministry of Industry MOJ – Ministry of Justice MOTC – Ministry of Transport and Communica tions NEAP - National Environmental Action Plan NEHAP – National Environmental Health Action Plan NGO – Non-governmental Organization NIP – National Implementation Plan NIS – Newly Independent States OECD – Organization for Economic Co-opera tion and Development PCBs – Polychlorinated Byphenils PCDDs – Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins PCDFs – Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans PIU – Project Implementation Unit POPs – Persistent Organic Pollutants ppb – parts per billion ppm – parts per million REC – Regional Environmental Center Rotterdam – The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in Interna tional Trade SEE – State Ecological Expertise SEI – State Ecological Inspectorate TACIS – Technical Assistance for the Common wealth of Independent States (EU Programme) TBD – To-be-Determined UNECE – United Nations Economic Commis sion for Europe WHO – World Health Organization ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS he National Implementation Plan (NIP) provides a policy framework and describes concrete interventions to reach the national objectives and priorities regarding the management of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and to meet the obliga tions taken by the Republic of Moldova under the Stockholm Convention. The NIP seeks to encour age, facilitate and support national and local author ities in their efforts to collect and properly dispose of POPs as well as to remediate or contain sources of POPs pollution. To this end, a wide range of tools is proposed, including regulatory, voluntary, remedial, monitoring, enforcement, and research tools. The national policy regarding POPs, which is an integral part of national environmental policy, is driven by understanding that a comprehensive chemical safety management system needs to be created in the Republic of Moldova. It recog nizes the need to apply a precautionary, prevention and polluter pays approach in addressing POPs, and implementing cost-effective measures to prevent en vironmental degradation and negative societal, par ticularly health, impacts. In the NIP, POPs issues are regarded as a separate chemical management is sue only to the extent needed to the fulfillment of specific obligations arising from the Stockholm Convention; in all other relations, POPs activities have to be integrated in the overall strategy to pro tect human health and the environment from the risks resulting from exposure to toxic substances. The national environmental and sectoral policies, strategies and programs should be amended to re flect POPs priority elements, as well as other dan gerous and toxic substances management issues. The NIP is consistent with the national sustain able development strategy and programs aiming at harmonizing economic, environmental and social aspects of development. For example, environ 8 T SUMMARY � Storage conditions. Obsolete pesticides warehouse, Gratiesti, Chisinau mun. mentally sound management of POPs pesticides and other prohibited and unused agricultural chemicals is considered helpful for marketing Moldovan organic agriculture products worldwide. The obligations under the Stockholm Conven tion are only a subset of broader international oblig ations of the Republic of Moldova. The links and operational platform between the Stockholm Con vention, the Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on POPs, the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Con vention and other relevant multilateral environ mental agreements ratified by the Republic of Moldova should be established. The process of NIP preparation followed the UNEP/World Bank “Guidance for Developing a NIP for the Stockholm Convention”. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources1 (MENR) as sumed the main responsibility for developing the NIP, with an active participation of all stakeholders, including governmental bodies, local communities, consumer groups, the business sector, scientific community, NGOs, etc. A prior national inventory of POPs enabled a better setting of priorities and national objectives in the field of POPs manage ment. Pursuant to the requirements of the Stockholm Convention, the MENR and other stakeholders have identified the following strategic objectives: Reduction of POPs releases from intentional production and use (Article 3). � Prohibit production and use (except PCBs in equipment) and eliminate import and export of POPs chemicals listed in Annexes A and B by 2005. � Establish a schedule to phase out the use of PCBs in equipment according to Annex A, Part II (a) of the Convention and totally ban these PCBs by 2025. � Implement systematic measures for reduction of exposure and risk from use of PCB-contain ing equipment according to the Annex A, part II, b of the Convention. � Prohibit recovery for reuse in other equipment of PCB-containing liquids according to the Stockholm Convention requirements (Annex A, part II, d) by amendments of legislation until the 2010 and establish environmentally sound waste management of liquids and equipments contaminated by PCBs not later than 2028. 9 � Barrels of obsolete pesticides in the warehouse, Pascani, Hincesti rayon 1 The MENR is the successor of the Ministry of Ecology, Construction and Territorial Development (MECTD). The re organization was undertaken in March 2004. � Identify the PCBs content in other than energy equipment and articles and manage them ac cordingly by 2025. � Evaluate national options for specific exemp tions according to the Stockholm convention re quirements by 2005. � Establish a mechanism for the assessment of new pesticides and industrial chemicals (in ac cordance with the POPs criteria) by 2007. � Implement assessment of pesticides and indus trial chemicals in use according to the POPs cri teria by 2010. Reduction or Elimination of Releases from Un intentional Production (Article 5) � Further investigation of sources and current management options regarding releases of chemicals listed in Annex C in order to prepare relevant Action Plan by 2006. � Identify BAT and BEP for every particular in dustry and sources by 2010, and introduce BAT and BEP for new sources since 2010. � Promote measures to achieve release reduction since 2006. Reduction or Elimination of Releases from Stockpiles and Wastes (Article 6) � Finalize the collection of prohibited pesticides at district deposits during 2004-2006. � Finalize the strategy for identification of stock piles consisting of or containing chemicals listed in Annexes A and B, and products containing POPs listed in Annexes A, B and C by 2006. � Manage obsolete pesticides stockpiles and wastes in an environmentally sound manner, following international standards and guide lines, according to the following scheme: (100% of POPs pesticides contained stockpiles and wastes by the year 2005, 25% of other stockpiles containing obsolete pesticides by 2006, 50% – by 2007, 75% – by 2008, and 100% – by 2009). � Establish a schedule for managing PCB-con taining stockpiles and wastes in an environmen tally sound manner, starting since the comple tion of the identification process, but not later than 2007. � Establish a schedule for managing products con taining POPs listed in Annexes A, B and C, starting since the completion of the identifica tion process, but not later than 2009. � Prohibit recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse and alternative use of POPs listed in An nex A (except PCBs) by legal provision by 2005. � Prohibit recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse and alternative use of PCBs by legal pro vision by 2006. 10 � Entrance to the Vulcanesti Pesticides Landfill (2003) � Prohibit recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse and alternative use of POPs listed in An nex C by legal provision by 2006. Listing of Chemicals in Annexes A, B and C (Ar ticle 8) � Monitor POPs candidates use and impacts and utilize internationally accepted experience and findings. Research, Development and Monitoring (Article 11) � Develop environmental and health oriented monitoring strategies and start step by step im plementation since 2005, starting with priority areas, zones and concerns. The NIP covers the period of five years and foresees four categories of actions, as follows: � Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Activi ties: Improving the legal and regulatory frame work is a prerequisite for effective POPs man agement in Moldova. This category of actions is targeted at: (1) amending the current legislation, in order to make it consistent with the Stock holm Convention, and incorporating provisions for establishing a broader chemical safety ap proach in the country; (2) drafting specific regu latory acts and supporting operational guide lines and practical handbooks; (3) establishing an adequate institutional framework for co-ordi nation of POPs related activities. Secondary leg islation (regulations, procedures, standards and guidelines) shall clarify monitoring, reporting, inspection, implementation, and enforcement responsibilities of all parties involved. An inte grated environmental permitting should be de veloped and provisions for BAT and BEP re garding POPs sources (new and existing) ad dressed. The regulatory requirements should al so be transferred into practical and operational guides, as well as introduced to the general pub lic in simple and understandable terms. � Capacity Building: This category includes ac tions related to the training of professionals and decision makers; improvement of POPs inven tories; increasing the capabilities for hot-spots identification, reporting, monitoring and con trol, research and development; strengthening the national capacity for chemical risk as sessment and risk management by promo tion of international cooperation and techni cal assistance. Coordination, compatibility and integration of monitoring, laboratory and com pliance control capabilities shall be enhanced to improve POPs cycle information and data man agement, thus facilitating more effective and ef ficient national programming, planning and de cision-making. Adequate information manage ment should be promoted through a common 11 � Block of capacitors integrated computerized system of tracking reg ulated POPs, dangerous and toxic substances and other chemicals throughout their life-cycle. � On-ground Remediation Measures: These include repackaging and centralisation of obso lete pesticides at the district storage facilities, identification of the most appropriate solution for their final elimination, low-cost measures to minimise the impacts of abandoned storage fa cilities, collecting old DDT stocks from rural households, and remediation measures at the pesticide dump in Ciºmichioi and the stockpiles of out-of-use capacitors in Vulcãneºti and other places. An extensive and POPs specific techni cal assistance program should be promoted by involving potential international financial sources and technology transfer options. � Public Awareness, Training and Education: The measures under this category refer to rais ing public awareness and ensuring proper com munication on POPs-related issues, including the incorporation of POPs issues in educational programmes. The Communication Strategy, de veloped in the framework of the POPs Enabling Activities Project, will be used as the main dri ving engine to promote POPs awareness among the general public, decision makers and effect ed groups. The MENR and the Stockholm Convention na tional focal point sought suggestions from relevant government agencies and it was unanimously ac knowledged that Moldova did not need exemp tions as specified in Art. 4. At the same time, na tional and sector-wide privatization being almost completed, the majority of industrial and agricul tural production is concentrated in the private sec tor. In this regard, MENR shall continue consulta tions with major private industrial and agricultural producers, manufacturers’ and consumer associa tions, to seek whether some exemptions might be requested by the private sector. Severe economic and financial constraints limit the country’s capability to achieve expected level of POPs release reduction. Therefore, one of the country’s first priorities is joint implementation of nationally and internationally supported efforts, which is a strategic pathway for the solving of POPs and other chemicals issues in Moldova. It is partic ularly important to establish sustainable co-financ ing and contributing platforms between interna tional, national, regional and local sources, govern ment and private funds. Incentives need to be pro vided to increase the share of local public and pri vate sector financing. A phased increase in public environmental expenditures in POPs shall be planned parallel to overall economic recovery or, at least, ensure timely release and efficient execution of budgetary allocations for priority POPs issues. The implementation of the Stockholm Conven tion will be coordinated in the Republic of Moldo va by the National Committee for Environmental Policy, established in July 2002, which brings to gether senior officials from the key ministries. To support activities of the National Committee in the field of chemical safety, the MENR should consid er bringing various related international Conven tions’ focal points under one umbrella, transform ing the existing POPs PIU into a separate legal en tity (Center for Chemicals Management - CCM) to coordinate and manage Moldovan international obligations under the Basel, Stockholm, LRTAP and Aarhus Protocols (and potentially Rotterdam Convention,) thus gaining synergies and improving and increasing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, trans parency, accountability and cross-fertilization. POPs-related obligations of various ministries and agencies require focusing, fine-tuning of authority and responsibilities, as well as better coordination and proactive cooperation – the MENR shall be as signed leading responsibility and given relevant powers to ensure enforcement. The CCM should serve as an expertise, guidance and coordination unit. The NIP provides flexibility for implementa tion mechanisms and operational plans, and imple mentation agencies should have a sort of maneu vering in order to reach established national goals timely and efficiently, but strictly considering the principles of safe and environmentally sound mea sures. The NIP will be periodically evaluated by means of established criteria and indicators, ana lyzed by stakeholders and revised if appropriated. 12 ver the last 40 years awareness has been growing globally about the threats posed to human health and to the environment by the ever-increas ing emissions and discharges into the natural envi ronment of various toxic and hazardous substances. Mounting evidence of health and environmental damage has focused the attention of the interna tional community on a category of substances re ferred to as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs.) Some of these are used as pesticides, while others are industrial chemicals. They are also generated unintentionally as byproducts of combustion and industrial processes. POPs possess toxic characteris tics, are persistent, accumulate in the fatty tissues of most living organisms, are prone to long-range transboundary transport and are likely to cause significant adverse hu man health or environmental effects near to and distant from their sources. The realization of POPs’ health and environmental threats led a number of coun tries to introduce policies and legislation to manage an increasing number of these chemicals. Due to POPs’ persistence and propensity to cross-border movement, states are also seeking multinational co operation to address the challenge. The 1995 Global Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine Environment from Land based Activities and the 1998 POPs Protocol to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transbound ary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) were responses to this serious situation. The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Haz ardous Wastes and their Disposal was one of the first to address management of toxics, comple mented later primarily by the Rotterdam Conven tion on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Proce 13 INTRODUCTION1. O � Storage place for different types of obsolete pesticides dure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesti cides in International Trade. In addition, it was ac knowledged that there was sufficient scientific evi dence for immediate international action regarding 12 POPs. The Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (The Stockholm or POPs Convention) was adopted and opened for signature at the Con ference of Plenipotentiaries in Stockholm on May 22, 2001. The Convention will become legally binding on May 17, 2004. The overall objective of the Stockholm Con vention is to protect human health and the environ ment from POPs2. It makes specific reference to the precautionary principle as set forth in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and De velopment. The Stockholm Convention provides subscribing Parties with basic objectives, principles and elements to be used in developing comprehen sive programs and control regimes with respect to POPs. It is structured to address POPs that are a) intentionally produced, such as pesticides and PCBs, and b) produced and released unintentionally as the re sult of human activity, including dioxins, furans, PCBs, and HCB. The nine chemicals currently list ed in Annex A of the Convention are subject to a ban on production and use, except where there are generic or specific exemptions. In addition, pro duction and use of DDT, a pesticide still used in many developing countries for malaria and other diseases vector control, is severely restricted, as set forth in Annex B of the Convention. Import and export of the ten intentionally produced POPs is al lowed only for the purpose of environmentally sound disposal under restricted conditions. Special provisions are included in the Stock holm Convention for those Parties, with regulatory assessment schemes to review existing chemicals for POPs characteristics and to take regulatory mea sures with the aim of preventing the development, production and marketing of new substances with POPs characteristics. Releases of unintentionally produced by-prod ucts listed in Annex C are subject to continuous minimization with, as objective, the ultimate elimi nation where feasible. The most stringent control provision with regard to by-products is that Parties shall promote and, in accordance with their action plans, require the use of best available techniques (BAT) for new sources within major source cate gories. The Convention also foresees identification and safe management of stockpiles containing or con sisting of POPs. Waste containing, consisting of or contaminated with POPs should be disposed of in such a way that the POP content is destroyed or ir reversibly transformed, so that it does not exhibit POPs characteristics. Where this does not represent the environmentally preferable option or where the POPs content is low, waste shall be otherwise dis posed of in an environmentally sound manner. Dis posal operations that may lead to recovery or re-use of POPs are explicitly prohibited. With regard to shipment of wastes, relevant international rules, standards and guidelines, such as stipulated in the Basel Convention, are to be taken into account. The POPs Convention requires the Parties to develop implementation plans to indicate how they will meet their obligations under the Convention. The implementation plans are to be transmitted to the Conference of the Parties within two years of the Convention entering into force. In addition, the Convention sets forth a number of obligations that the Parties shall or are encouraged to undertake, including designating a national focal point, fostering information exchange, providing technical assistance, promoting and facilitating public awareness and participation, consultation and education, stimulating research and monitor ing, and reporting “at periodic intervals.” The Re public of Moldova signed the Stockholm Conven tion on May 23, 2001 and ratified it on February 19, 2004. Moldova has severe public health and environ mental problems linked to the intensive use of pes ticides in the past. The stockpiles of obsolete (in cluding POPs) pesticides are a continuous threat to the health of thousands of people. The country has accumulated large amounts of PCB oils and PCB contaminated equipment in the energy sector, which present high risks to the environment and public health. At the same time, Moldova lacks credible evidence about the current releases, the degree of environmental contamination and health impacts due to unintentionally produced POPs and PCBs. The Government of Moldova acknowledges that elimination of POPs will serve the long-term interests of public health, environment, and eco nomic development of the country. In 2001, the Government of Moldova requested from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) fi 14 2 The 12 chemicals listed in the Convention are: aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, DDT, hexachlorobenzene, PCBs, chlorinated dioxins and chlorinated furans. nancial assistance for strengthening its capacity to fulfill the obligations arising from the POPs Con vention, including the development of a planning framework to identify priority activities. This assis tance has been provided in the framework of a $410,000 GEF POPs grant - “Enabling activities related to the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs in the Republic of Moldova”. The National Implementation Plan (NIP) is one of the main outputs of this project. The goal of the NIP is to provide a framework and management options and measures in order to meet the obliga tions taken by Moldova by joining the Stockholm Convention and to reach the national objectives and priorities regarding the POPs. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Re sources3 (MENR) assumed the main responsibility for developing the NIP as the state authority re sponsible for compliance and enforcement of na tional legal requirements and international obliga tions related to management of toxic and hazardous products and substances. It must be stressed that the NIP was developed as an interagency and cross-sectoral document. The National Implemen tation Plan was prepared by a multi-disciplinary group of national experts. From the very begin ning, the NIP development was approached as a process with active participation of all stakeholders and based on the shared responsibility of the gov ernmental bodies, local communities, consumer groups, the business sector, scientific community, NGOs, etc. A preliminary national inventory of POPs was undertaken in order to provide quantitative infor mation for initiating development of an Action Plan. Gathered data allowed for setting priorities and determining the national objectives in the field of POPs minimization and elimination, a process in which national stakeholders were largely involved. On the basis of the discussed and agreed priorities and objectives the National Implementation Plan was formulated for different areas of POPs. Small problem-oriented teams were set out, to tackle spe cific issues related, for example, to persistent or ganic pesticides or PCBs or POPs monitoring and research. During their activity, members of the teams worked closely with counterparts in the ap propriate governmental or non-governmental sec tors. Workshops were organized that brought to gether senior representatives of all of these sectors 15 3 The MENR is the successor of the Ministry of Ecology, Construction and Territorial Development (MECTD). The re organization was undertaken in March 2004. � General view of the Vulcanesti (Cismichioi) Pesticides Landfill in order to discuss national strategies and options for eliminating POPs. The NIP includes both regulatory and non-reg ulatory measures targeting POPs. It is obvious that POPs are only a small part of the chemicals that need control and monitoring in view of their possi ble impact on the environment and human health. Therefore, POPs issues are treated in the NIP as an independent chemical management issue only to the extent this is related to the direct fulfillment of specific obligations arising from the Stockholm Convention. In all other relations, POPs activities have to be integrated in the overall strategy to pro tect human health and the environment from the risks resulting from exposure to toxic substances. At the same time, the NIP is consistent with the national sustainable development strategy and pro grams aiming at harmonizing economic, environ mental and social aspects of development. The Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, currently prepared by the Government, will deter mine the country development in the medium term. In the context of the NIP, poverty and envi ronment are related through a complex web of rela tionships. Environmental conditions have major ef fects on the health, opportunities, and security of poor people. A large part of the Moldovan popula tion is actively involved in or directly depends on agriculture activities, which makes them suscepti ble to impacts from obsolete pesticides. Contami nation of agriculture land and foodstuffs with POPs pesticides residues compromises the future options for developing organic agriculture and undermines the export potential of agriculture products. There fore, the sound management of POPs is not to be treated as an exclusively environmental issue. One of the major themes of the NIP is that improving environmental conditions by mitigating POPs-re lated problems can help to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty. The many links be tween environmental management and poverty re duction provide the rationale for the systematic mainstreaming of this nexus in the NIP priority ac tivities. The NIP is structured as follows. Chapter 2 pro vides a very brief profile of the country, including general social, economic, environmental and envi ronment management information. Chapter 3 in troduces the principles of the NIP development. An assessment of POPs-related issues in Moldova is presented in Chapter 4. The political statement and country strategy in the field of POPs and chemical management are presented in Chapter 5, and the actions incorporated in the NIP follow in Chapter 6. Finally, Chapter 7 provides the frame work for implementation, evaluation and updating of the NIP. More detailed background information can be found in the NIP Background Paper and technical reports, which are provided on the pro ject’s website4. 16 4 www.moldovapops.md. 2.1. General Issues he Republic of Moldova is a small, landlocked and densely populated country located in the South-Eastern part of Europe, bordering Romania and Ukraine. The country has a population of 4.3 million people, of which 0.7 million live in Trans nistria, Moldova’s most industrialized region. Transnistria is de facto (politically and institutional ly) separated from the rest of the country. Out of the total population, 54% are rural inhabitants, most of them involved in agriculture activities. The prevalence of rural population has important social, economic, political and environmental conse quences. The country is relatively low-lying and hilly, with semi-arid steppe plains in the south covering one third of the territory and fluvial terraces in the west and the east. Moldova is endowed with fertile black soils, covering about 70% of the territory. The climate is temperate and continental. Precipitation is low (400-500 mm a year) and droughts are fre quent. Moldova became independent on August 27, 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Among the Newly Independent States (NIS), Moldova has been hardest of all hit in terms of economic down turn. During the 1990s, the GDP was in continuous decline reaching in 2000 a level of only 37% of its 1990 value. The Moldovan economy has experi enced a severe economic downturn with dramatic drops in real output, fiscal revenues and expendi tures, and poverty increase during the transition period. The share of the population with an income less than half of the subsistence minimum (207 lei) is about 53.4%. The increase in poverty has been associated with an increase in inequality. The rich est 20% of the population earn close to half of the total income, 11 times more than the poorest 20%5. Poverty in Moldova is prevalent in the countryside, where most of pesticides pollution and contamina tion is located. The poorest quintile in Moldova is composed by 35.8% of urban population and 64.2% of rural population. Revenues in rural areas are mostly in-kind (71.5% of the total disposable in come), with cash accounting for only 28.5 %. 17 COUNTRY PROFILE2. T 5 See: Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, approved by the GRM on April 11, 2002. � Nistru river at Rezina Despite good economic growth over the last three years, poverty continues to be a serious prob lem, with per capita income less than US$460, which makes Moldova one of the poorest states in Europe. More than a half of the population has a consumption level below the internationally com parable absolute poverty line of US$2.15 per day, and a majority falls into the category of chronically poor6. The population has been severely affected by the erosion of public health and education sys tems. Moldova is one of the region’s most heavily in debted countries with an external debt stock (ex cluding energy arrears) of about 83 percent of GDP. A variety of factors impedes development. The country is highly dependent on capital flows from abroad. The economic climate is not attractive to investors. High political risk, a shrinking labor force, and the small size of the Moldovan market work together to keep them at bay. The abundance of fertile, mineral-rich soils and the temperate climate predisposes the country to agribusiness. Agriculture is a sector of crucial im portance for Moldova, employing about 27% of the population and supporting other economic activi ties, as food and wine production. However, the re form in agriculture has proceeded slowly and con tradictorily. Privatization resulted in land fragmen tation, which, in turn, led to a significant reduction of agriculture output. The GRM intends to support agriculture development through implementing as sistance programs for farmers; creating and provid ing support to farmer associations; and rural com munity development. Introduction of organic farm ing practices may be the key to resolving the prob lems in agriculture on a sustainable basis and would increase the income of individual farmers. Food processing is the largest Moldovan industrial sector; it is a strategic engine for growth, accounting for 68% of total industrial output, and a similar share of total export. Moldovan industry is undergoing a deep crisis, largely due to the long-lasting stagnation in invest ments. During the last decade, the share of indus trial output in the GDP has contracted and is presently similar to that of the agriculture sector. Increasing the share of industrial output is one of the major economic goals of the Moldovan Govern ment. Moldova lacks fossil fuel resources. Hydropower resources are also scanty. The country has to rely heavily on imports of energy resources (98% of the total energy consume). Decreasing country’s de 18 6 Moldova: Public Economic Management Review, Report No. 25423-MD, Poverty Reduction and Economic Man agement Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region, The World Bank, Washington, DC, February 20, 2003, p. 4 � Old house. Central Moldova pendence upon energy resources from abroad is one of the Government objectives. Moldova is a “gateway” between the former So viet Union countries and the West: trade-wise, lan guage-wise and culturally. The country will be come increasingly important as a future border be tween the EU and Eastern Europe, once Romania joins the EU. Road and rail transport are the two most important modes of transport. 2.2. Environmental Overview Current environmental problems in the country are largely the result of past ineffective and ineffi cient management, as well as declining environ mental expenditures and investment. The severe downturn of Moldovan economy, accompanied with significant price rise in the last ten years, has both positive and negative impacts on the environ ment. The former include a dramatic reduction in use of agrochemicals and pollution generated in in dustry and energy sectors. The latter include dete riorating capital assets, declining or no investments at all in waste minimization, abatement and clean technologies, inadequate institutional capacity, en vironmental management, monitoring, control and enforcement. With the decline of industrial activity and ener gy use during recent years, air emissions of sulphur and nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and partic ulates from stationary sources have decreased7. At the same time, the air quality in the main cities (Chisinau, Balti, Tiraspol) did not improve, mainly due to the increased number of (older) vehicles during the last years. The water quality of the main rivers (Nistru and Prut) is satisfactory. The quality of groundwater is a growing concern, and supply of safe drinking water to the population is one of the major national objectives. About 30% of lands under agricultural cultiva tion suffer from some form of erosion, the estimat ed annual loss of agricultural production being US$ 45-55 million. Soil erosion and degradation is pro gressing at a high rate and totaly eroded land has in creased by 45% over the last 20 years. Waste man agement is rapidly becoming a major concern in Moldova. Domestic waste is deposited in numer ous landfills, the majority of which are not properly authorized and do not meet environmental and san itary requirements. There are no organized disposal sites for hazardous and industrial waste. Most toxic industrial waste is stored at industrial sites while awaiting a solution. Natural ecosystems have been conserved on less than 20% of Moldova’s territory; they are frag mented and highly degraded. Many protected 19 7 Republic of Moldova State of the Environment Report 2002. MECTD & National Institute of Ecology, Chisinau, 2003, 116 p. � Landscape of the South of Moldova plant and animal species are under stress. Protected areas occupy 1.96% of the territory, placing Moldo va far behind most other European countries. After gaining independence, Moldova experi enced a deterioration of the health status of its pop ulation. The key factors of this trend are collapsing health services and the socioeconomic stress brought about by difficult economic and social change for large segments of population during continuous transition. The current life expectancy at birth (67.4 years in 2000) places Moldova behind most other European nations. The country contin ues to lag far behind the health status outcomes achieved in other European countries8. The burden of chronic morbidity, caused by environmental pol lution, affects the quality of life and brings signifi cant social and economic losses. One of the coun try’s strategic objectives is to preserve and improve the quality of the environment as a factor for ensur ing the public health. 2.3. Institutional Framework for Environmental Management Over the past decade Moldova has worked to wards improving and shaping its own environmen tal institutional framework. To-date, together with numerous policies and plans, 41 codes and laws, and about 60 regulations have been adopted. A combination of command-and-control and market based economic instruments is being used in the country to ensure their implementation and en force compliance. The most important policy and strategic docu ments related to the chemicals issues are: the Na tional Environmental Action Plan (1995), the Na tional Program for Production and Domestic Wastes Management (2000), the Concept of Envi ronmental Policy of the Republic of Moldova (2001), the National Environmental Health Action Plan (2001), the Mid-term Strategy for Socio-Eco nomic Development of the Republic of Moldova to 2005 (2001), the National Program of Environmen tal Safety (2003) and the Concept of National Wa ter Policy (2003). The administrative system for environmental management and protection includes at the highest level: (i) the President, who is responsible for the state of the environment in the country in front of the global community; (ii) the Parliament, responsi ble for approving general environmental policy principles and adopting laws; and (iii) the Govern ment, responsible for the implementation of nation al environmental policy. The Parliament has a Com mission on Ecology and Natural Resources, and the GRM has a Department of Agriculture and Environ ment as well as a number of inter-ministerial ad hoc and standing commissions created to address specific environmental problems. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR) is the central national duly environmental authority and was designated the Stockholm Con vention competent authority. The main govern mental bodies involved in chemicals management issues are: Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI), Ministry of In dustry (MOI), Ministry of Energy (ME), Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC), Ministry of Economy (MOE), Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Ministry of Defense (MD), Department of Customs (DOC), Department of Standardization and Metrology and Department for Emergency Situations (DES). The local authorities have responsibilities for environ mental protection and management in the limits of their territory, ensuring compliance with applicable legislation and standards. The legislation stipulated a range of obligations for economic entities (e.g. to op erate on the basis of environmental permits, pre vent pollution, manage toxic substances in environ mentally safe way, etc). Since 1991, Moldova began to actively partici pate in international, regional and bilateral environ mental cooperation, signing 17 and ratifying 16 in ternational conventions, including the Basel Con vention on Transboundary Movements of Haz ardous Wastes and their Disposal; the Geneva Con vention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollu tion; and the Aarhus Protocol to CLRTAP on Per sistent Organic Pollutants. Moldova signed the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pol lutants on May 21, 2001, and ratified it on February 19, 2004, thus demonstrating its continuous com mitment to sustainable development and interna tional cooperation in this field. MENR is the na tional Competent Authority for most of internation al environmental conventions and hosts all focal points for POPs (chemicals) related agreements. 20 8 Moldova Health Policy Note: The Health Sector in Transition. Report No. 26676-MD, Human Development Sector Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region, The World Bank, Washington, DC, November 2003, p.5. he philosophy that guided NIP prepa ration was based on the understand ing that the control and elimination of POPs has to be integrated into the broader context of sound chemicals management. The most efficient improvement in POPs could be achieved in close connection with the fulfillment of other national needs and international obligations in this field. POPs are only a small part of the chemicals that need control and monitoring in view of their possi ble impact on the environment and human health. Therefore, POPs issues are treated in the NIP as an independent chemical management issue only to the extent this is related to the direct fulfillment of specific obligations arising from the Stockholm Convention. In all other relations, POPs activities have to be integrated in the overall strategy to pro tect human health and the environment from the effects of toxic substances. This means the estab lishment of environmentally sound and integrated man agement of chemicals, the institutionalization of precau tionary principle and integrated pollution and preven tion control in particular sectors. POPs monitoring has to be integrated in the national environmental monitoring system; reporting on POPs has to be come part of the general environmental reporting procedure; public information, awareness and edu cation has to encompass, besides POPs, other chemicals. It follows from the above that POPs NIP can serve as a triggering policy instrument for develop ing national programs for sound chemicals manage ment. The general principles underlying the NIP preparation are: � Integration in the national development and environ mental policy. The NIP is not a stand-alone docu ment. It was developed as a part of the national environmental policy (NIP POPs actions are combined with other environmental actions) and it is consistent with the national sustainable development strategy. The integration of POPs activities in the overall Moldova environmental policy is one of the conditions sine qua non to achieve needed efficiency and to contribute to the improving of the environmental situation in general. � Integration of chemical management issues in other sectoral policies. POPs management is not to be treated as an exclusively environmental issue. The NIP is a national document, adopted by the Government, where the obligations of all stakeholders are clearly defined. One of the ma jor themes of the NIP is that improving environ mental conditions by mitigating POPs-related problems can help to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty. The problem of POPs has to be directly related to the economic activities also as a new business opportunity. Sound management of pesticides can help the agricultural sector9 to promote Moldova’s organ ic agriculture products worldwide. In this sense, introduction of POPs issues in national agricul ture policy could bring direct benefits to this sector. Likewise, the energy sector can benefit from PCBs elimination by reducing occupation al health impacts, introducing PCB-free and modern energy saving equipment and optimiza tion of infrastructure. � Partnership and shared responsibility. Setting up realistic objectives and effectively reaching them is possible only within a partnership of all beneficiaries (e.g., consumers, the general pub lic) and stakeholders – the business sector, na tional and local authorities, local communities, NGOs, and the international community. There is a wide range of interests in chemical manage ment and a broad base of involvement and sup port is required. Each part should assume its share of responsibility. Involvement of different 21 NIP PRINCIPLES AND DEVELOPMENT3. T 9 Agriculture is the most important economic sector in Moldova and the biggest employer. Introduction of organic farming practices may be the key to resolving the problems in agriculture on a sustainable basis and would increase the income of individual farmers. Convincing the international community that POPs and other chemicals are under control would increase the export opportunities for Moldovan organic agriculture products. stakeholders in the project preparation was also needed to estimate the national technical capa bilities for solving POPs problems10. Agriculture and energy sectors are the most important stake holders, and have to be directly involved in solv ing most of existing problems with obsolete pes ticides and PCBs. � Coordination with relevant national policy docu ments and strategies (e.g. Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, National Environ mental Action Plan, National Program for Pro duction and Domestic Wastes Management, Concept of Environmental Policy of the Repub lic of Moldova, National Environmental Health Action Plan, National Program of Environmen tal Safety, Concept of National Water Policy, Concept of Ecological Agriculture). � Coordination with and building on international ex perience - relation to other Conventions (Rotter dam, Basel) and relevant international docu ments. Regional co-operation frameworks (e.g. Transnational Monitoring Network under the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River) will be used to resolve the POPs issues in Moldova. � Emphasize pollution prevention and low-cost solu tions. Remediation of POPs impacts is very cost ly. Prevention of their releases into the environ ment through adequate management systems is likely to bring benefits through saving efforts and money. In preventing future and remediat ing existing damages Moldova will seek to de velop affordable low-cost solutions. � Right to know and prior informed consent principles. These establish the basis for ensuring that mechanisms exist for end-users, the public and particularly all potentially impacted individuals have access to information about chemicals and the impacts they may have, and that use is un dertaken in that knowledge. � Use measurable indicators and assess performance. The NIP has to be subject to revisions and up dates on regular basis. This will be obviously linked to the performance evaluation process. The NIP will include a set of verifiable indica tors, designated for this purpose. The elaboration of the NIP followed the step wise approach as described in the UNEP/World Bank “Guidance for Developing a NIP for the Stockholm Convention” dated October 2003. A preliminary inventory of POPs in Moldova was un dertaken in order to provide quantitative informa tion for initiating development of an Action Plan. The inventory provided a better understanding of the situation, which allowed the setting of priorities and the determining of the national objectives in the field of POPs minimization and elimination, a process in which national stakeholders were largely involved. On the basis of the discussed and agreed priorities and objectives, the NIP was formulated for different areas of POPs. Small problem-oriented teams were set out, to tackle specific issues related, for example, to persistent organic pesticides or PCBs or POPs monitoring and research. During their activity, members of the teams worked closely with counterparts in the appropriate governmental or non-governmental sectors and businesses. Work shops were organized that brought together senior representatives of all of these sectors in order to discuss national strategies and options for eliminat ing POPs. 22 10 Significant resources will be necessary to solve the problems of, e.g., obsolete stockpiles or PCBs. To find low-cost solutions a close cooperation with the national business community and research institutions will be needed. 4.1. Existing POPs-related Legal and Regulatory Framework ver 25 legal and regulatory acts deal in general terms with the full life-cycle of managing toxic and hazardous sub stances and wastes, which, though not naming specifically, cover POPs regulated by the Stockholm Convention. The Law on Environmental Protection, adopted on June 16, 1993, established basic principles of en vironmental protection, including the priority of environmental goals, mandatory environmental compliance, environmental liability, prohibition of implementation of any programs and projects with out a positive conclusion of the state ecological ex pertise and concurrence by the population in the area of impacts, payments for use of natural re sources and non-compliance, and use of collected funds for environmental mitigation and rehabilita tion. The Law on Sanitary-Epidemiological Well-being of Population, adopted on June 16, 1993, seeks to ensure favorable environmental conditions to sup port healthy life for citizens, including a variety of chemical safety measures. The Law on Ecological Expertise and Environmen tal Impact Assessment, adopted on July 26, 1996, seeks to prevent or minimize potential direct, indi rect or cumulative impacts of various activities on the environment and to ensure environmental and social sustainability of planning, design and deci sion-making processes. The state ecological exper tise and EIA are mandatory obligations to some chemical related issues. The Law on Wastes from Industrial Production and Consumption, adopted on October 9, 1997, aims at fostering efficient management of wastes in order to reduce their amount, increase recycling and reuse, and prevent environmental pollution and degradation. The Law on Regime for Hazardous Products and Substances, adopted on July 3, 1997, establishes the legal basis for activities related to production, stor age, transportation and use of hazardous and toxic products and substances, as well as their import and export, in order to avoid, reduce or prevent their negative impacts on population and environment The Law on Protection of Atmospheric Air, adopt ed on December 17, 1997, aims at preserving the purity of the air, improving its quality, preventing and reducing negative physical, chemical, biologi cal, radioactive and other impacts, which may cause adverse consequences to the environment and pop ulation. The Law on Plant Protection stipulates that all plant protection chemical and biological substances and means shall be certified, tested and registered. Import and use of untested, uncertified and unreg istered chemical and other means of plant protec tion is prohibited. Certain elements of toxic and hazardous sub stances and wastes management are regulated by a number of other national laws, as follows: the Law on the Safety of Dangerous Industrial Facilities, adopt ed on February 11, 2000; the Law on the Control of Strategic Goods Export, Re-Export, Import and Tran sit, adopted on July 26, 2000; the Law on Licensing of Certain Types of Activities, adopted on July 30, 2001; the Law on Civil Protection, adopted on November 9, 2001; the Law on Consumers Protection, adopted on March 13, 2003; the Law on Certification, adopted on October 28, 1999. Current Moldovan legislation includes general prohibitions and restrictions on production, use, storage, marketing and disposal of a broad variety of toxic, hazardous, flammable and volatile sub stances and waste, including POPs listed in the Convention. The main deficiency in the present le gal framework is that legislation does not specifical ly mention POPs and only covers use of substances as plant protection products, not, e.g., biocidal or industrial uses, and it does not regulate uninten tional and by-product POPs. As the Convention has both mandatory and aspiration stipulations, and is very broad in scope, in the sense that the control measures cover the whole cycle of POPs, from pro duction to disposal, Moldovan legislation does not yet fully cover all these measures. 23 ASSESSMENT OF THE POPs ISSUES IN THE COUNTRY4. O Numerous Moldovan laws require that individ uals and judicial entities develop, introduce and use advanced environmentally clean technologies that: provide for energy and resources conservation and savings; ensure low- and no-wastes production; prevent emissions and discharges, and reduce im pacts on the environment and public health; imple ment highly efficient and effective process. Though the scope and application of these require ments are similar in their spirit to the BAT de scribed in Annex C to the Convention, Moldovan legislation does not mention BAT or BEP by name and is less specific. The analysis of existing POPs-related legal and regulatory framework identified the following problems: � Moldovan legislation does not specifically men tion POPs and only covers the use of substances as plant protection products, not, e.g., biocidal or industrial uses; it does not regulate uninten tional and by-product POPs and does not men tion BAT or BEP. � Current legislation does not define public and private sector management responsibilities for POPs during their life-cycle, from production to disposal, as well as contaminated sites. � There is no framework for prohibition of pro duction and use of specific POPs chemicals to be added to the Convention in the future. � Not all of the 12 POPs regulated by the Stock holm Convention have environmental standards. 4.2. Current POPs Management, Monitoring and Control In relation to POPs, MENR is responsible for state legal monitoring, control and compliance en forcement, particularly for production, storage, transportation, use, neutralization, and burial of toxic and hazardous products and substances and their wastes11. MENR has to concur to all Statutes, Lists and Registers on toxic and hazardous prod ucts and substances prepared and maintained by other ministries and agencies, as well as to sitting of specialized testing grounds for neutralization and burial of hazardous and toxic products, substances and their wastes. The MOH is responsible for establishing and maintaining the National Register of Potentially Toxic Chemical Substances and for listing new substances when necessary. It also amends the Statute on Proce dures for the Use and Elimination of Hazardous Prod ucts and Substances and their Wastes; issues conclusion regarding the Statute on Procedures for Transporting, Storing and Use of Phyto-Sanitary Means and Fertiliz ers and the List of Chemical and Biological Means of Plants Protection and their Growth Stimulation. MAFI includes the State Service for Plants Protec tion and the State Centre for Phyto-Sanitary Means and Fertilizers Certification, which has a designated certi fied laboratory. The State Register of Phyto-Sanitary Means and Fertilizers, approved by the interdepart mental Council for phyto-sanitary means and fertiliz ers approval, is elaborated, maintained and updated through a joint effort of MAFI, MOH and MENR. DOC administers export and imports by ensur ing compliance with restrictions established by MENR, MAFI, MOH, which furnish the depart ment with lists of prohibited pesticides and chemi cals in accordance with national legislation and in ternational obligations. DOC enforces these restric 24 11 These functions are delegated to the State Ecological Inspectorate, which is a subdivision of MECTD. � Barrels with liquid obsolete pesticides, Comrat tions at the border, with MAFI and MENR helping customs officers with specific technical issues. MOE is concerned about several aspects of en vironmental and energy saving issues, but the prob lem of PCBs is not specifically on their agenda. In creased pressure from the unresolved problem of PCB oils and power equipment (particularly old ca pacitors) has driven the energy sector to seek solu tions. There is no established monitoring system on POPs in the country, although the MENR and the MOH have monitoring programs comprising analy ses of organochlorinated pesticides, including DDT, in ground and surface waters, soils, drinking water and foodstuffs. There is no information ex change among institutions carrying out analyses of POPs and no unified database. It is recognized that existing national institu tional, organizational, technical, human and finan cial capabilities are very limited and inadequate for ensuring full implementation of a sound manage ment of chemicals, including those regulated under the Stockholm and other related Conventions and Protocols, without foreign technical and financial assistance, The analysis of current POPs management, monitoring and control identified the following problems related to Convention requirements: � Inadequate coordination and communication between environmental and sectoral agencies on POPs–related matters, and their limited ca pabilities to incorporate environmental dimen sions into national and sectoral economic devel opment agenda � Existing laws and plans suffer from being poorly implemented and enforced, as a result of inade quate funding and inadequate administrative and judicial support. � Ineffective communication with civil society and lack of meaningful public empowerment � Disconnection between assumed responsibili ties under POPs-related tasks and obligations and financial resources available to meet those commitments to an acceptable degree � Inadequate laboratory facilities and coordina tion between the monitoring, analytical and control systems, managed by various ministries and agencies � Inadequate data and information management systems to handle diverse and multiple purpose databanks; lack of interconnection between sec toral information systems relating to POPs man agement, thus leading to poor information for decision-making. 25 � General view of a block of capacitors, Orhei 4.3. Assessment of POPs Pesti cides Issues The Republic of Moldova has never had and does not currently have pesticide producing enter prises or factories; all agrochemicals for plant pro tection permitted for use in the country have been and are imported from abroad. None of the POPs pesticides is presently included in the register of permitted substances for use in agriculture, forestry and households. The import/export of pesticides is a licensed ac tivity in Moldova. It is regulated by a number of acts developed by MENR, MAFI, and MOH, and enforced by DOC. POPs pesticides have reported ly not been subject to import/export during the last decade. Nor do any data exist about possible illegal entries of POPs pesticides, but this is not expected to be a very large problem, due to lack of specific demand from the farmers. In the 1950-1990s an estimated total amount of 560,000 tons of pesticides were used in Moldova, including 22,000 tons of persistent organochlorinat ed compounds (OCPs). Pesticides use registered a peak in 1975-1985, but reduced dramatically over the last 10-12 years (from 38,300 tons in 1984 to some 2,800 tons in 2000, as active ingredient). The share of persistent OCPs also decreased, in favor of other pesticide groups. (Figure 1 and 2) The absence in the past of controls on pesti cides manufacture, imports, transportation, storage, and use have resulted in the stockpiling of now banned and useless pesticides which constitute an acute environmental problem/hazard. In order to find a solution for the ever-increasing amount of obsolete pesticides accumulated in the country, a pesticide dump was built in 1978 on the territory adjacent to Ciºmichioi village, in the South of Moldova. Over a period of ten years (1978-1988) 3,940 tons of pesticides were buried there, includ ing 654.1 tons of DDT12. By the early 1990s, over 1,000 warehouses for pesticide storage have been built in kolkhozes. During 1991-2003 about 60% of these were de stroyed or dismantled, with only 20% of the re maining ones maintaining a satisfactory condition. Significant amounts of obsolete pesticides are stored in the open. The deteriorated packaging en hances the risk of harmful effect on people’s health and environment, some warehouses being situated close to residential areas. 26 � New private pesticides and fertilizers warehouse 12 By now, this is the only option for old pesticides disposal, which has been applied in Moldova at national scale. 27 Figure 1. DISTRIBUTION OF PESTICIDES (by communes) 28 Figure 2. PESTICIDES DISTRIBUTION (on the administrative-territorial units) Storing POPs pesticides in inappropriate condi tions led to the contamination of adjacent lands. A survey made by the State Ecological Inspectorate in 2002 in the Nistru River basin revealed a signifi cant level of soil contamination with organochlori nated pesticides, including DDT and HCH, around most checked facilities. The concentrations of OCPs in soil regularly and significantly exceeded the MAC even at 200 m from the facilities. In sev eral cases the contamination of surface waters near by occurred. Since 1997, three Government decrees have been taken aiming at the collection and centralized storage of obsolete pesticides, while seeking solu tions for their final elimination. These decisions have never been implemented. In November 2003, the MOD and DES started repackaging and trans portation of obsolete pesticides in a few districts. At the same time, it has to be stressed that no techni cal solution for final elimination/disposal of obso lete pesticides has been selected so far on the basis of an economical, financial, technical and environ mental analysis. Currently, the total amount of obsolete pesti cides in Moldova is approximately 5,650 tons, in cluding about 3,940 tons buried at the pesticide dump in Cismichioi and 1,712 tons stored in 344 poorly equipped or unfitted facilities, which lack 29 � Pesticides warehouse in Olanesti, Stefan-Voda � Pesticides Dump. Interior vew proper monitoring and security. Only 777 tons out of the latter amount are identified preparations, and among them POPs pesticides are represented by 80 kg of heptachlor and 1,600 kg of toxaphene. However, no information exists on what amount of POP pesticides may be among the 935 tons of unidentified obsolete pesticides stored in facili ties13. (Figures 1 and 2) The amount of obsolete pesticides stored in the warehouses showed a steady decrease over the years. Since 1995, the total amount of recorded pes ticides decreased by approximately 600 tons. It would be very difficult to say whether these changes exist only on paper or they are real. It would not be totally unreasonable, however, to as sume that some amounts of stored pesticides are 30 13 Tentative expert estimates suggest that Stockholm POPs may represent less than 20% of existing stock of obsolete pesticides. � Lapusna pesticides warehouse. General view � Barrels with Toxaphene, Pascani, Hicesti rayon � A barrel with Heptachlor. Gura Galbenei, Cimislia rayon subject to illegal disposal, they are stolen, washed out with the runoff or infiltrate into the groundwa ter, conducting to soil and water contamination. No comprehensive assessment of the risks asso ciated with POPs stockpiles, contaminated sites and wastes has been made in Moldova so far. In many cases, the exact location and the environmen tal state of contaminated sites has not been deter mined. On the other hand, no guidelines were de veloped providing criteria and procedures for such inventories and for assessing the risks posed by such places, and no decontamination measures have been elaborated at the national level. During 1976-1990, soil samples showed pesti cide contamination levels exceeding the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) from five times in the Southern zone to 50 times in the Central zone. A research by the Institute for Experimental Mete orology of the State Committee for Meteorology of the former Soviet Union showed that in 1979-1985 about 60% of soil samples were polluted with DDT exceeding the MAC, in spite of the fact that DDT was prohibited in 1970. Since 1989, due to reduction in pesticide appli cation, investigations showed an anticipated de crease of pesticides-related pressure both in annual and perennial crops. During 1990-1995, the region al Centers of Preventive Medicine of the MOH have analyzed the contents of 28 pesticides’ residu als in 10 agricultural crops and foodstuffs. Pesticide residuals were found in 56.4% of tomato samples and in 40 % of grape samples, but they never ex ceeded the MAC. This downward trend has contin ued in the last years. The percentage of samples in vestigated during 1995-2002 showing traces of DDT and HCH has decreased every year and only episodically exceeded the MAC. Traces of hep tachlor showed up only once. From the foodstuffs, animal products were found to accumulate most: in 2002, DDT residuals were found in 4.5% of sam ples and HCH in 1.8% of samples. The contamina tion level of crops was insignificant. The review of the findings of POPs pesticides assessment against the provisions of the Stockholm Convention revealed the following problems: � Large amounts of obsolete (including POPs) pesticides are stored in poorly equipped or un fitted storage facilities lacking proper monitor ing and security. � There is no clear ownership and accountability for the obsolete pesticides issue, related to stockpile and contaminated sites management. � There is evidence of some amounts of POPs pes ticides (especially DDT) stored in private house holds and used by farmers in an uncontrolled way. � POPs pesticides are still identifiable in the envi ronment (including soil, surface and ground wa ter and foodstuffs), despite the ban on their use imposed long time ago. � Large areas around former and existing storage facilities are contaminated with POPs pesticides. � Tracking, reporting and enforcement systems associated with imports and exports of POPs pesticides have to be improved. � The Government is aware of and committed to solve the problem of obsolete pesticides but lacks capacity for doing it. � No regulations, standards and/or guidelines were developed covering contaminated sites as sessment procedures, remediation criteria, fu ture site use restrictions and site monitoring. 31 � Residues of obsolete pesticides in the open air 4.4. Assessment of PCBs Issues PCBs14 have never been produced in the Re public of Moldova, all of them being imported. Ap parently, no control of the quality of dielectric oils exists at national borders related to the concentra tions of PCBs. Their utilization in some sectors has been discontinued or prohibited in the 1980s. However, PCBs continue to be used in power in stallations and other types of equipment. The ma jor sources of environmental pollution with poly chlorinated biphenyls in Moldova are the emissions from the energy sector and industry. The main pathways of environmental pollution are the PCB oil spills and leaks from electric equipment, heat exchangers and hydraulic systems, evaporation from different technical installations, and dis charges of industrial liquid waste. It is estimated that most of PCBs in Moldova are concentrated in the electricity sector. This sector has to be primarily targeted to solve the problem of PCBs in Moldova. The preliminary inventory iden tified that about 30,000 tons of dielectric oils are used in electrical power installations, including ap proximately 23,300 tons in high voltage transform ers, 5,400 tons in circuit breakers and 400 tons in capacitors. (Figure 3) From the total amount, 95-97 % is in the equipment that belongs to power supply entities (producers, transporters, and distributors) and 3-5% in the consumers’ electrical installations. The losses of dielectric oils in the energy sector are estimated at 9-10 tons per year. The power entities keep no records about the type of oil currently or previously filled in equip ment. Thus, no direct evidence exists at this mo ment on whether the dielectric oil is or is not PCB contaminated. A few selected analyses executed by Fichtner (Germany) in 1999, in transformers from the transport division of the power system, and by Union Fenosa (Spain) in 2003, in 30 transformers from power distribution companies, did not provide proof of any PCB presence (however, this is not considered to be a representative sample and does not allow any generalization). In contrast to transformer oil, the capacitors used in Moldova probably contain PCB, and most likely this would be trichlorobyphenil. The total number of capacitor batteries located at 20 electri cal substations throughout the country is almost 20,000, containing a total amount of 365 tons of trichlorobyphenil. Most of the capacitors are con centrated at the Vulcanesti substation in the south of Moldova. Over 12,000 batteries are kept at the substation including many out-of-use capacitors, 56 kg each, containing 19 kg of PCB oil. Thus, a total amount of 230 tons of trichlorobyphenil and 670 tons of PCB-contaminated equipment is stored there. The capacitors represent a significant hazard to the environment. Most of them have been in opera tion for more than 30 years. There is no check for oil spillages from the capacitors. Old batteries are stored in open metal containers, some of them are leaking. They represent a real threat for the health of people living in the vicinity of the substation. Complaints from the local population about nuisance (unpleas ant odours, eyes irritation) are not unusual. At present, there are no possibilities for disposal of old capacitors in the country. After the break-up of the USSR the former procedures for disposal of capacitor oils have been abandoned. Apparently, no legal requirements exist for disposing of the equip ment contaminated with PCBs. Regulations (dating from the Soviet period) concerning the handling of dielectric oils are in place. However, even the personnel in the energy sector is poorly informed (and only in relation to ca pacitors) about the PCB risks. The electric installa tions are not labeled accordingly. The degree of uncertainty related to the PCB problem in Moldova is quite high. No monitoring of PCBs and PCB-containing materials is being done in the country. There is no reliable system atized information on leakage accidents and conse quences of PCBs pollution of the environment, or other negative impacts of PCBs. Almost nothing is known about the amount of PCBs in the electric equipment being used and the out-of-use installa tions; the PCB releases to the environment during last decades; their content in the environment; PCB-contaminated sites; or the exposure of the population to PCBs and their environmental risks. Lack of information concerning non-energy sector PCB applications does not allow any perti 32 14 The polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of hydrocarbons that have largely been used along the 20th cen tury in the energy sector and industry. PCBs have been manufactured primarily for use as dielectric fluids in power installations (especially transformers and capacitors). They also had a number of industrial applications, in hydraulic equipment, as plasticizers, lubricants, etc. Starting with the 1960s, scientific evidence accumulated showing that these substances are quasi indestructible, highly bioaccumulative and toxic. Consequently, in the 1970-1980s pro duction and marketing of PCBs became forbidden in all industrialized countries. nent conclusions in this field. The preliminary in ventory provided no information on the matter. The sectors/industries where a certain amount of PCBs could be presently used in Moldova are as follows: hydraulic fluids; lubricating oils; adhesives; paints; surface treatment for textiles; plasticizers; sealants; fluorescent lamp ballasts and other consumer goods. The review of the findings of PCBs assessment against the provisions of the Stockholm Conven tion revealed the following problems: 33 � Power transformer in operation “Moldelectrica”, Orhei � Capacitor batteries in blocks 34 Figure 3. VOLUME OF OIL IN ENERGY INSTALATIONS (potentialy contaminated with PCB) 35 � Currently there are no specific legal require ments as regards PCBs import/export, storage, labelling, transport, and no operational guide lines were developed for these fields. � There appears to be no clear ownership and ac countability of PCB issues for activities under the authority of Ministries other than the MENR. � Compliance with the Convention will require problem definition; setting and maintaining in ventories; design and implementation of reme dial measures � There are very few data on PCB oils in use or awaiting destruction or disposal; PCB-contain ing or contaminated equipment and other wastes, stockpiles and contaminates sites; PCB containing products or other (non-energy) equipment. � Options for appropriate destruction or disposal of PCBs have not been explored in Moldova. � Environmental authorities do not appear to have a clear focus for environmental control of PCBs. � Regular PCBs monitoring does not exist and laboratory capacity is insufficient. � PCB awareness level of decision makers appears to be very low. � No surveys of stockpiles, wastes and sites conta minated by PCBs were conducted to determine to which extent such sites present a threat to the environment and human health in the near and longer term. 4.5. Assessment of DDT Issues DDT has never been produced in Moldova. Its use was forbidden in 1970; currently DDT is not listed in the official register of permitted substances for use in agriculture, forestry and household. Illegal import of DDT is unlikely, since: (1) it could not be legally used; and (2) DDT is no longer seen as an essential pesticide, since a number of effective al ternative pesticides are in use. Over the last decade, DDT concentrations in the environment have con stantly decreased. The results of the long-term monitoring of DDT residues in soil show a clear downward trend after the peak was reached in the 1980s. The same tendency has been recorded in the surface waters. According to investigations by HMS, the maximum concentrations of DDT residuals de tected in surface waters decreased from 8-10 ppb in the 1980s to 0.0-0.01 ppb in 2002. Concerning DDT stockpiles, a reported amount of 654.1 tons is buried at the Cismichioi pesticide dump. The investigations carried out in 1999 in the framework of the Tacis project „Selected Actions for the Protection of the Danube River Basin” showed that surface soils within and adjacent to the site are contaminated with residues of DDT and its metabo lites. The study reported strong evidence that pesti cide residues from the dump are being mobilized through exposure of contaminated surface soils and by leaching from the dump into groundwater. Due to the fact that DDT has been prohibited over 30 years ago and its imports have stopped in the yearly 1970s, all shipment and contractual informa tion has been lost, thus making desk assessment im possible. At the same time, according to some ex perts, DDT might still be used in some rural house holds, which do not possess knowledge of the com position of obsolete stock they might have preserved. The review of the findings of DDT assessment against the provisions of the Stockholm Convention revealed a number of problems similar to those apply ing to other POPs pesticides described under item 4.3. 4.6. Assessment of Unintended POPs15 Releases (PCDD/ PCDF, HCB and PCBs) No comprehensive study to identify the releas es of PCDD, PCDF, PCBs and HCB has been ever conducted in the Republic of Moldova. The UNEP Standardised Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and Furan16 Releases was 15 Four POPs substances to be controlled via the Stockholm Convention are produced unintentionally as by-products or trace contaminants. These are: polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs); polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs); polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); and, hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Two of them, namely PCBs and HCB, have also been produced for specific purposes (PCBs as dielectric fluids etc. and HCB as a seed fungicide). 16 Dioxins and furans are amongst the most toxic substances known to man, and normally they are not intentionally produced. They are usually generated and subsequently released through a number of anthropogenic and natural activities. Anthropogenic sources include a broad range of industrial and combustion sources. PCDDs and PCDFs have been detected in effluents from municipal effluents, waste incinerators, cement kilns, steel plants, wood com bustion etc. used to make a preliminary inventory of these substances in Moldova. Various sources released 42.6 g TEQ of PCDD/PCDF into atmosphere, water and land in 2001. According to the inventory, 47.6% of total PCDD/PCDF releases resulted from wastewater; 35.9% from power generation and heating, 6.6% from uncontrolled combus tion processes (fires/burning of biomass). Over the period of 1990-2001 total PCDD/ PCDF releases to the atmosphere, water and land decreased by 83.8% (from 263.1 g TEQ to 42.6 g TEQ). At the same time, it can be foreseen that national economic recovery could bring a significant increase of PCDD/PCDF releases. Therefore appropriate mea sures have to be taken to identify the hot spots and to target limited available resources at prevention and limitation of emissions from priority sources. Emissions of PCBs (as unwanted by-products17) in Moldova amounted to 16.24 kg/year in 1990. The main emission sources were heavy-duty vehi cles, buses and lime production. During the last decade PCBs releases declined sharply (up to 2.10 kg/year in 2001). There are no data available on current and his toric emission levels of HCB18 in Moldova. In 1990, HCB releases in Moldova were assessed at 0.025 kg, and the main emission source was cement production (99%). In 2001, releases were estimated at 1.0 kg. The main emis sion source was secondary aluminum production (99%). Significant uncertainties regarding quantification of releases of un-intended and by-products POPs must be stressed. These are due to the lack of reliable and continuous monitoring, analytical methods and equipment, both in the public and private sectors. The National Program for Environmental Safety asks for developing and implementing emission lim it values for unintentional POPs. However, due to lack of capacity (equipment) to monitor and analyze such emissions, this task looks unrealizable in the near future. Besides, there appears to be a regulatory gap with respect to responsibilities for managing re leases (especially PCBs) from industry. There are no existing inventories of industrial plants or factories known to release HCBs, PCBs, dioxins or furans. Many surveys will be required to garner a clear and precise definition of the problem. This will also like ly require the establishment of consultative mecha nisms and partnerships and the cooperation of many 36 � Storage conditions. Sacks with obsolete pesticides. 17 PCB can be classified under two source categories: as deliberately used industrial products (discussed above) and as unintentional products. PCBs are a common contaminant in emissions from combustion sources. At low com bustion temperatures and inadequate combustion chamber residence time, PCBs are volatilized and released to the local environment where they condense and contaminate the surrounding area. 18 HCB was originally used as a fungicidal seed treatment. As a fungicide, it is not allowed for use in Moldova, and re portedly it was not extensively used in the past. HCB sources also include: emissions from incineration; leachate from hazardous waste dumps; emissions from various industrial sources; effluents from municipal wastewater treat ment plants and long-range transport and deposition. Ministries. This activity is a prerequisite to develop ing an implementation plan to achieve compliance. The review of the findings of unintended POPs assessment against the provisions of the Stockholm Convention revealed the following problems: � There appears to be a regulatory gap with re spect to responsibilities for managing releases from industry. � There are no existing inventories of industrial plants or factories known to release HCBs, PCBs, dioxins or furans. � There are no data on process-related releases from the industry sector, medical incinerators, and/or sewage treatment plant discharges. � Currently there are no emission limit values for unintentional POPs. � Lack of capacity to monitor releases of uninten tional POPs. 4.7. Requirements for Exemptions The MENR and the Stockholm Convention na tional focal point sought suggestions from relevant government agencies and it was unanimously ac knowledged that Moldova did not need exemp tions as specified in Art. 4. At the same time, with national and sector-wide privatization almost com pleted, the majority of industrial and agricultural production is concentrated in the private sector. In this regard, MENR shall continue consultations with major private industrial and agricultural pro ducers, manufacturers’ and consumer associations to seek whether some exemptions might be re quested by the private sector. 4.8. Existing Monitoring Programs Several laboratories, centers, institutions and departments are involved in monitoring activities regarding pesticides (including POPs) in Moldova. The State Ecological Inspectorate (SEI) is in charge of compliance monitoring and pollution control. The main focus of the SEI is analysis of pollutants in discharges and in the environment in the vicinity of pollution sources. The Inspectorate has six certi fied laboratories (one central and five regional) with skilled staff. However, an evaluation of laboratory capabilities undertaken in 2002 in the framework of the World Bank Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Capacity Building Project revealed that the analytical instrumentation in all laborato ries is extremely obsolete and none of them is equipped for adequate analyses of organic microp ollutants (which include the POPs) in water, air and soil samples. Since the laboratories do not partici pate in the national/international inter-laboratory 37 � Power Plant Nr.2, Chisinau comparisons, the quality assurance/quality control issues are of concern19. A modern gas chromato graph with FID and ECD detectors was recently supplied to the central laboratory in Chisinau in the framework of the mentioned project, increasing its capability for high-precision measurements of POPs pesticides and PCBs. In 2002-2003, the SEI undertook a survey of old pesticides storehouses and investigated the level of contamination of adja cent areas with organochlorinated pesticides, in cluding DDT, in the Nistru River basin. The State Hydrometeorological Service (HMS) monitors background air, water and soil quality to assist in the formulation of pollution control mea sures. It has certified laboratories for water and soil analyses, which regularly participate in international quality assurance and quality control schemes. The HMS is running programs of pesticide monitoring in soil and water. The most comprehensive program involved the investigation of DDT and DDE residues in soil since 1979. The results showed a clear downward trend after the peak was reached in the 1980s. The same tendency has been recorded in the surface waters. The HMS has a comprehensive network of sampling stations covering all major wa ter courses and water bodies and monitoring a range of some 35 parameters, including DDT and other pesticides. Water quality reports are sent regularly to national authorities and also to the Secretariat of the Danube Protection Convention. At the same time, air monitoring is deficient due to a lack of equipment for measuring POPs pesticides. The Ministry of Health is responsible for moni toring in relation to human health. The MOH has an extensive network of regional laboratories in the Centers for Preventive Medicine (CPMs) carrying out a significant number of analyses of foodstuffs, agriculture soils, air, drinking water and surface wa ters for pesticides residues. It is also responsible for occupational health issues related to pesticides use. The National Center for Preventive Medicine in Chisinau has a fully equipped laboratory with trained staff, capable of carrying out sophisticated analyses. The laboratory has national certification and its results are mutually recognized by the health authorities of Russia and Ukraine. Several other CPM laboratories in the country are also quite well equipped and staffed. Several other institutions have the technical ca pacity for POPs pesticides analyses (e.g. the Center for Agrochemical Service of the MAFI, the Insti tute of Geophysics and Geography of the Academy of Sciences), but these are not regular and depend upon demand from interested clients. Private en terprises and farmers do not have technical capabil ity of analyzing POPs, in particular pesticides, and they usually contract certified laboratories for doing that. Currently, the industries and the energy sector do not have the obligation of self-monitoring in re spect of specific pollutants like PCBs or PCDD/ PCDF, since those are usually not listed in environ mental permit requirements and, on the other hand, no national environmental quality standards have been established for some of them. Coordination and exchange of information among the monitoring agencies is sporadic and is usually the result of the individual initiative of tech nical experts within those institutions. Despite sev eral signed agreements (e.g. the Agreement on coop eration between the MECTD and the MOH signed in 2000), currently there are no operational channels of information exchange between the parties. This generates duplication of efforts, on the one side, in formation gaps, on the other side, and does not allow relevant information to be used in decision-making. The Government attempts to integrate existing sectoral monitoring frameworks and to canalize gathered information into the decision-making process so far resulted in setting different “nation al” monitoring systems, which basically involve the same institutions (CPMs, HMS, SEI, MAFI) and suffer from the same overlapping. Besides, pro posed systems often remain on paper only, since their implementation is hindered by lack of funds20. In conclusion, currently only investigations over DDT and its metabolites are regularly carried out in Moldova. Other pesticides included in the POPs list of the Stockholm Convention (aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphen, and hexachlorobenzene) are not monitored at na tional scale. A significant amount of data on POPs pesticide exists within the country, but appears 38 19 Upgrading Compliance Monitoring Capabilities of the State Ecological Inspectorate. Final Report. June 2002. Envi ronmental Compliance and Enforcement Capacity Building Project, The World Bank. 20 See, for example: GRM Decision No. 477 of 19.05.2000 on the approval of the Regulation on the national network of laboratory observation and control over the pollution of the environment with radioactive, toxic and bacteriological substances; and GRM Decision No. 717 of 07.06.2002 on the approval of the Concept of organization and function ing of social-hygienic monitoring in the Republic of Moldova and the Regulation on the social-hygienic monitoring in the Republic of Moldova. fragmented, making future reporting obligations more difficult than necessary. Analyses of PCBs are sporadic, since no pressure is made on the energy sector and industries by the environmental authorities as regards self-monitor ing, reporting on PCBs and PCB-contaminated equipment, etc. At present, there are no Government inventories of industrial plants or factories known to release dioxins or furans. The very few analyses of dioxins and furans in Moldovan environment were done for scientific purposes and by NGOs, and the samples have been analyzed in western laboratories. The assessment of existing POPs monitoring programs revealed the following problems: � From the POPs list of the Stockholm Conven tion only DDT and its metabolites are regularly monitored at national scale. Data on other POPs are fragmentary and scattered among different institutions. � Coordination and exchange of information among the monitoring agencies is sporadic. Cur rently there are no operational channels of infor mation exchange between the parties. � The general laboratory capacity is insufficient, especially for PCBs and unintended POPs. � Quality assurance/quality control issues are of con cern, since the equipment in many laboratories is obsolete, training of staff is episodic and inter-lab oratory comparison exercises are not undertaken. � Data handling and analysis procedures are defi cient, preventing the possibility to use gathered monitoring information for decision-making. � Currently, the industries and the energy sector do not have self-monitoring obligations con cerning specific pollutants like PCBs or PCDD/PCDF. 4.9. Economic Assessment Moldovan economic development is crucially dependent on the environment and natural re sources. At the same time, however, economic growth (development) is accompanied by signifi cant adverse environmental and social impacts and consequences. There is no denying that POPs air, water and soil pollution (and food contamination) leads to serious negative impacts on health and var ious economic goods and services. The socio-eco nomic costs resulting from environmental and nat ural resources damage and degradation are real and hard-felt, particularly by the poor. Most of the peo ple in Moldova work on land and are directly de pendent on natural resources for food, shelter and employment, i.e. their short-term and long-term welfare is inextricably dependent on and tied to the quality and productivity of natural systems. During NIP preparation, an attempt was under taken to make an economic evaluation of POPs-re lated environmental and health impacts (costs) and benefits resulting from implementing various miti gatory and management alternatives. Due to lack of reliable environmental monitoring, epidemiological and population data, and its time and spatial di mensions, it was difficult to establish and quantify direct doze-response and other relationships be tween individual POPs and measurable environ mental and health effects. Currently in Moldova market prices and the market place do not ade quately capture and reflect the full value to the so ciety and the private sector of the full spectrum of potentially POPs-associated impacts and conse quences, as well as of undertaking precautionary, mitigatory, prevention and rehabilitation actions or using particular resources, so-called “externalities”. 39 � Destroyed storehouse, Lapusna, Hincesti rayon Furthermore, internationally acceptable economic evaluation methodologies are not used in Moldova, and necessary monitoring and research data and in formation is lacking. As necessary information and data were not readily available, a “benefit transfer” approach was used where estimates obtained in other but similar context were used to estimate the range of costs under various alternative options to manage and ad dress problems associated with the POPs regulated by the Stockholm Convention. Economic evalua tion of POPs-related environmental damage was based on the inventory data, using standard Moldovan methodologies and approved national norms for natural resources use charges and envi ronmental pollution payments. Total environmen tal damage from POPs was estimated to be about MDL 96.6 million in 2001 (about US$7.2 million.) Total POPs-related health (damage) costs were es timated, using international comparable health ef fects data, to be about MDL 78.8 million (about US$5.8 million.) Cost-benefit analysis looked at “no project” sce nario, i.e. when no POPs mitigatory measures are undertaken. In this case, total (environmental and health) POPs associated (damage) costs would be about MDL 175.4 million (US$13 million.) “With project” scenario, i.e. total POPs mitigation bene fits, was not attempted to be evaluated at this stage, as it was impossible to precisely estimate the total cost of all proposed alternatives to address there types of regulated POPs. At the same time, an attempt was made, using internationally available estimates of various tech niques, to estimate costs of mitigating PCB-related problems related to clean-up and destruction of about 14000 obsolete capacitors and 26000 various transformers, waste oils, etc. It was concluded that the total cost for a 6-12 years long clean-up and de struction of PCB contaminated equipment, assets and oils will be about US$34 million, i.e. about US$2.8-5.6 millions annually, provided PCB mitiga tion equipment and technologies have been pro cured and installed in Moldova. Obviously, the total cost may be lower or higher in cases when PCB mit igation will utilize leased equipment and/or on the territory of third countries, which already have nec essary facilities. Depending on the selected method for mitigating pesticides-related pollution and obso lete stocks controlled storage, land-filling or de struction, the total cost was tentatively estimated to range US$2-8 million, spread over a period 4-6 years, i.e. annual costs topping US$1.3-2 million21. In addition, it is anticipated that there will be an impact in terms of increased administrative burden, due to the managing of various project activities, certain notification and reporting obligations, etc. Thus it is evident that, during the life-time of NIP implementation, annual benefits from implement ing POPs mitigation activities, at least for POPs pesticides and PCBs, will significantly exceed pro jects costs by US$5.6-8.9 million. The total costs have to be weighted against the benefits. The NIP contributes to elimination of the most harmful sub stances of global concern. 4.10. Impacts of POPs on Public Health and the Environment Among the pesticides that have been used in Moldova in the past, the organochlorinated pesti cides (OCPs), which include all the pesticides list ed in the POPs Convention, are thought to pose the biggest health and environmental risks due to their toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation po tential. In the 1990s, their use in Moldova almost ceased. However, their intensive use in the past, their persistence in the environment and the relat ed health risks still make of them a health and en vironmental issue. The intense use of OCPs in the past, which rea ched a peak in the 1970s, caused pesticides accu mulation in and contamination of soil and crops. Presently it is well-known that some OCPs can per sist in the soil for 10-20 years and more. This ex plains why DDT is still detectable in the Moldovan environment, despite the fact that it was banned in 1970 and was not used in significant amounts since then. Poor enforcement of specific rules and working instructions related to pesticides storage, trans portation, preparation, use, etc., as well as insuffi cient awareness of the population on the health risks associated with pesticides, leaded to multiple violations of the regulations on handling toxic sub stances, including uncontrolled pesticide use on 40 21 Due to uncertainty regarding the final selection of the most cost-effective and politically feasible mitigation option, a “benefit transfer approach” was used, where the estimates obtained in other but similar contexts were used to come up with a cost-range for various internationally available clean-up and destruction technologies. the individual plots of farmers. This led to occupa tional health problems for many people directly in volved in pesticides handling. This also con tributed to the pesticides entering the environment and circulating in the food chains. In the 1980s, the frequency of detected pesticide residuals (includ ing DDT and HCH) in Moldovan foodstuffs was pretty high, ranging from 5.6% (1984) to 19.8% (1990). The most contaminated were fruits, canned goods, dairy products and meat. The contamination frequency decreased during the last decade, but still data from 2000 indicated that pesticide residu als were present in 3.1% out of about 12,000 ana lyzed samples of food crops. Investigations undertaken in Moldova by health authorities in the peak period of pesticide applica tion denoted a significant exposure of humans to OCPs. HCH and DDT were identified in the breast milk of women living in villages where sig nificant amounts of these pesticides were applied22. The vast majority of breast milk samples (between 87% and 96% in different villages) have been proved to be contaminated. The concentrations of pesticides in body fluids showed a clear correlation with the level of pesticide application in the fields. The toxic effects of OCPs on exposed people in cluded reproductive dysfunctions and other func tional disturbances in women, as well as increased frequency of masculine sterility, the incidence of both being related to the level of pesticides use. Epidemiological studies also revealed a correla tion between the level of OCPs use in previous years and the morbidity through chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis in the investigated areas of Moldova. Research findings identified a strong pos itive correlation between the general level of pesti cides use and infant mortality. The demonstrated chronic effects on children and teenagers related to pesticides application included immune system disruptions, as well as physical and mental retarda tion. The comprehensive estimation of health sta tus revealed an evident general worsening of chil dren’s and teenagers’ health indices in areas with high level of pesticides application. It is considered that as a result of excessive use of pesticides in Moldova during the last decades, the health status of at least two generations was af fected. The burden of morbidity resulted from the acute and chronic effects of exposure to organic chemicals is significant in Moldova and has impor tant social and economic costs. Prevention of fur ther exposure of the population to POPs pesticides is one of the public health imperatives. 41 22 Volneanschi A., Romanciuc P. Hygienic evaluation of the content of organochlorinated pesticides in breast milk (Rom.) Proceedings of the III Congress of hygienists, microbiologists, epidemiologists and parazitologists of the Re public of Moldova, Chisinau, 1992. P. 68-70. � Access to obsolete pesticides is denied. Warehouse in Pascani, Hincesti rayon Starting with the land reform in the mid 1990s, the number of large pesticide users (agriculture farms) was in a continuous decline. Consequently, the number of people professionally exposed to pesticides at the work place also dropped from 34,700 persons in 1993 to 8,800 in 2002. This does not mean, however, that the total number of ex posed people decreased in the same proportion, since many peasants continue to apply pesticides on their individual plots in smaller amounts and un der less controlled conditions. This might in fact have increased the risks of pesticide use, instead of decreasing them. The assessment of impacts of POPs on popula tion and the environment revealed: � Lack of comprehensive and reliable environ mental monitoring and epidemiological data, making it difficult to establish and quantify di rect doze-response and other relationships be tween individual POPs and measurable envi ronmental and health effects. 4.11. Social Assessment and Ac tivities of Non-Governmental Organizations Country-driven Rapid Social Assessment (RSA) was used during NIP preparation to: identify stake holders; increase stakeholders’ ownership; clarify and prioritize POPs-related social issues (poverty, age, ethnicity, gender) and project objectives and goals; define responsibilities and build broad-based commitment to the project outcomes. RSA provid ed a means for achieving and securing public in volvement and participation. It also sought to an swer key POPs NIP-related questions and thereby improve decision-making, and helped address a va riety of social factors that would be critical to NIP implementation success. RSA is an on-going process that should take place throughout the NIP cycle. The range of stakeholders that were consulted during POPs NIP design included: the GRM, MENR, acting as the executing agency, other min istries and local administrations; the Parliament and its relevant standing commissions and deputies; se lected public and private enterprises, and owners of relevant assets; Academia; affected local communi ties and NGOs representing their interests; the World Bank, GEF and international and bilateral donors. Local experts and NGOs were used as in termediaries between the government, affected communities and local civil society; they also car ried out the RSA. Both the GRM and the Parliament seek to find practical solutions to or at least mitigate immediate adverse environmental and health impacts of dilap idated (and leaking) pesticide storage facilities, scattered all over the country. Three GRM resolu tions were approved to this effect, outlining various alternatives to collecting and sitting obsolete pesti cide storage facilities. None of these decisions were implemented, due to lack of funding and opposi tion of local population, which was not informed of and engaged in decision-making. The Parliament conducted a special session on obsolete pesticides and had a number of special hearings and meetings with local populations (these have been repeatedly covered by national TV and media). At the same time, it is also quite obvious that POPs problems are not on the top of the national agenda, due to severe financial constraints, limited and inconsistent commitment of the political elite, and due to inadequate understanding of the inter relationships between POPs pollution and public 42 � Free access to obsolete pesticides health and poverty elimination. While MENR and MOH seem to consistently and proactively champi on complete and final resolution of POPs (pesti cide) related problems, other agencies do not see the resolution of POPs problems as one of the building blocks in achieving national sustainable development and poverty elimination, including assuring sustainable food production, reliable qual ity water supply, sanitation and waste management, and fostering public health. Few stakeholders are aware of POPs-related problems (e.g., only 3% of survey respondents were aware of POPs23), seriously concerned with various negative environmental and health impacts, and see POPs mitigation and elimination as a priority. Others, while appreciating the seriousness of po tential problems, do not place comprehensive POPs mitigation and management among the daily life priorities. Awareness of PCB/dioxin/furan-relat ed environmental and health problems is almost non-existent and does not come even close to the top of public or private priorities. Poor POPs awareness and ignorance of various groups, like farmers, enterprise employees, chil dren, or students is related to: lack of institutional ized communication channels and experienced and credible PR staff, ineffectiveness of existing infor mation environmental dissemination, communica tion and education, distrust of and even hostility to wards public authorities, fear of prosecution and re luctance, due to censure, of local population to ar ticulate their concerns. Most vulnerable and poor groups of population are mainly concerned with their daily survival and showed almost total indif ference towards POPs (chemical) pollution and its impacts on their health. Mass media was cited as the primary sources of POPs-related information, while environmental and local authorities and NGOs were ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively.24 There are over 2000 NGOs registered in Moldo va – over 50% of them exist only on paper, the re maining ones have 1-2 members, and only 20-30 NGOs are rather actively involved in environmen tal and social activities, increasingly with the tech nical and financial assistance from the Regional En vironmental Center (REC). It is acknowledged that most NGOs do not have technical capabilities to generate their own environmental research and in formation gathering, and are using data available from public agencies and academia. Many NGOs shape their activities to match the priorities of in ternational donors rather than build on and address concerns of local communities. 43 23 Bivol, Elena and Ciubotaru, Valentin, Report on the Survey on Main Public Concerns Regarding POPs in the Re public of Moldova, Chiºinãu, 2003, p.4. 24 Renita, Alecu, Victoria Resetnic and Victor Stratila, Report on the Survey on Main Public Concerns Regarding POPs in the Republic of Moldova, Ecological Movement of Moldova, Chisinau 2003, p.5. he overall country society is deeply and rightly concerned about harmful chemical substances, including POPs entering, staying in and destroying their environment. POPs and other chemicals in air, water, soil and sediment can end up in the food chain, upon which all living beings, including hu mans, depend for their existence. The national pol icy regarding POPs chemicals is driven by under standing that a national chemical safety manage ment system needs to be created for applying a precautionary, prevention and polluter pays ap proach in identifying chemicals pressures and im pacts, in assessing remediation options and in im plementing cost-effective measures to prevent en vironmental degradation and negative societal, par ticularly health, impacts. The range of POPs chemicals concerns, high lighted by the Stockholm Convention, is consid ered as country priority for the time being, and should serve as a triggering mechanism for the modernization of the current national chemicals management system towards an environmentally sound management of toxic, persistent, harmful and bio-accumulative substances in all spheres of human society. Minimization and final elimination of POPs related pressures and impacts to the natur al and human environment is an integral part of na tional environmental policy. It is considered that environmentally sound management of chemicals, if being adequately set up and functioning, is an important element contributing to the well-being of the country, society sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Adequate solving of POPs pesticides problems, as well as sound management of other prohibited and unused agricultural chemi cals, is considered to be helpful for the promotion of Moldovan ecologically clean agricultural prod ucts world wide. The national policy is calling for phased ap proach and well developed implementation plans for the solving of significant treats related to wide spectrum of chemicals’ harms and dangers. The policy has two key management objectives: � Remediation and virtual elimination from the environment of POPs that result predominantly 44 STRATEGY5. T � Urgent remediation needed. from human activity and that are persistent and bio-accumulative; and � Management of other toxic substances and chemicals, throughout their entire life cycles, to avoid, prevent or minimize their release into the environment. The policy recognizes the need to apply a pre cautionary, prevention and polluter pays approach in identifying POPs and implementing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation and negative societal, particularly health, impacts. Currently, the overall national policy goal is minimize POPs related treats to the environment and public health by means of better management options, which should serve as an example, skele ton and operational model for further widening and development of chemical safety management sys tem in Moldova. Country Strategy The country strategy for the establishing of na tion-wide chemical safety management system and the solving of POPs priority problems is based on the policy stipulations and includes integrated strategies in the following spheres: Policy � Obligations under the Stockholm Convention are only a subset of broader international obliga tions of Moldova, which may be defined as “en vironmentally sound and integrated manage ment of chemicals”. The links and operational platform between the Stockholm Convention, the Aarhus Protocol, the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention and other relevant inter national conventions should be established. � The national environmental and sectoral poli cies, strategies and programs should be modern ized and must reflect POPs priority elements, as well as other dangerous and toxic substances management issues. The flexibility mecha nisms shall be built-in to allow timely and effi cient adjustment and updating when warranted. The policies, strategies and programs shall pro vide prioritization of action, based on cost-bene fit analysis and potential threat of POPs to hu man health, welfare and the environment. Legislation � Existing regulatory gaps have to be filled-in and legislation has to be amended to ensure cross sectoral and media consistency and timely trans position of international obligations. The legis lation shall address some specific POPs issues, which are not currently covered by existing le gal and regulatory framework, both at the na tional and sectoral levels. � Implementation regulations, procedures, stan dards and guidelines shall be drafted in an inte grated manner, clarifying monitoring, reporting, control, implementation and enforcement re 45 � Clean-up of warehouses is planned. sponsibilities of the respective ministries and agencies, and creating a unified and integrated computerized system of tracking regulated POPs, dangerous & toxic substances and other chemicals throughout their life cycle. � The revision of the environmental standards re lated to the management of hazardous chemi cals will focus not only on numerical values, but on a broad reform encompassing the principles and the legal basis for standards setting. The provision and stipulations from legal and regula tory acts should be also transferred to the practi cal and operational guides, as well as presented for the general public in simple and understand able mode. � The number of regulated polluting substances should be limited to these: with the highest threat to human health, regulated under applic able international obligations, and that can be effectively monitored with the limited technical capacity and human resources available. � An integrated environmental permitting should be developed, consistent with the applicable EU requirements. Provisions for BAT and BEP, regarding POPs sources (new and existing) should be clearly addressed in legislation. 46 � Example of guarded pesticides and fertilizers storehouse. Chisinau mun. � Destroyed warehouse: looking for low cost sollutions. Administrative Management � To support activities of implementation of the Stockholm Convention and of other internation al conventions in that field, the MENR should consider the possibility of creating a Center for Chemicals Management (CCM) to coordinate and manage Moldovan international obligations under the Basel, Stockholm, and Aarhus Proto col to LRTAP and potentially the Rotterdam Convention, thus attracting the investments and technologies for the implementation of the international treaties and for the NIP, and gain ing synergies, as well as improving and increas ing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, transparency, accountability and cross-fertilization. � POPs-related obligations of various ministries and agencies require focusing, fine-tuning of au thority and responsibilities, as well as better co ordination and proactive cooperation – the MENR shall be assigned lead responsibility and given relevant powers to ensure enforcement. � A possibility of creating a centralized computer ized system – a unified databank (integrating in formation and data from various registers, lists, sectoral monitoring systems of different hierar chy), based on upgraded centralized monitoring and laboratory capabilities and complemented by focused training of selected staff, should be explored. � Coordination, compatibility and integration of monitoring, laboratory and control capabilities shall be enhanced, in order to improve POPs cy cle information and data management and facil itate more effective and efficient national pro gramming, planning and decision-making. � Environmental audits should include POPs con cerns and should be used more extensively and consistently to review performance, collect data and develop mitigatory plans for various eco nomic entities, as well as identify and assign en vironmental liabilities. � Improve DOC system for POPs import, export and transit tracking and reporting, monitoring, control and enforcement, including computer ized and integrated information and data man agement and sharing, particularly regarding la beling and compliance with licenses’ and per mits’ stipulations on quantities and consistency of brand names/chemical compositions. Financial Mechanisms � Explore opportunities for POPs-related invest ments and technical assistance, as well as for uti lization of existing projects financed by interna tional and bilateral financial institutions in vari ous sectors, like agriculture, energy, and trans port. Implementation of joint nationally and in ternationally supported efforts is a strategic pathway for solving POPs and other chemicals issues in Moldova. � Plan a phased increase in public environmental expenditures parallel to overall economic recov ery, or, at least, ensure timely release and effi cient execution of budgetary allocations for pri ority POPs issues. It is important to establish sustainable co-financing and contributing plat forms between national, regional and local sources, government and private ones, national and international financial flows. 47 � Obsolete pesticides before repackaging. � Provide incentives to increase the share of local public and private sector financing in the man agement of local, enterprise and site-specific POPs and other priority chemicals related envi ronmental problems. � Streamline environment-related taxation and im prove collection, expand economic incentives, in crease fines for POPs and other chemicals pollu tion, as well as for non-compliance to reflect the scarcity of natural resources and significance of environmental and health impacts; these should be timely indexed to reflect inflation rates. � To support implementation of Stockholm Con vention related activities, GRM and MENR should increase annual allocations from the na tional and local sources, including environmen tal non-budgetary funds. Human Resources � Strengthen and improve chemicals safety skill mix of the MENR, MAFI, MOH, MOE, MOD, DOC and related agencies’ systems with well trained environmental professionals, including senior managers, technical and media experts, economists and lawyers. � Ensure integrated development of country re sources at various levels (national, regional, lo cal), including all players (governmental agen cies, public authorities, private sector, general public) in decision making, sharing of responsi bilities, training and educational programs. � Increase the role of local public authorities, pro viding managerial skills and financial authority for POPs and other harmful chemicals combat ing efforts. � Seek negotiating bilateral (twinning) agree ments with the respective environmental agen cies for technology, know-how transfer and training. Acknowledging that meeting the Stockholm Convention requirements is an important step to wards ensuring the overall national chemical safety, the strategic approaches of Moldova in this field can be formulated as follows: � Step by step approach, followed by good plan ning and definitive agreements between stake holders, beneficiaries and financial agencies is a prerequisite for the implementation of Stock holm Convention requirements. The NIP is a basis for relevant actions and negotiations with international financial institutes. � Specific implementation actions included in the NIP should be focused on eliminating/reducing the priority health and environmental threats posed by POPs chemicals, by means of afford able and cost-efficient measures. � The NIP should provide flexibility for imple mentation mechanisms and operational plans, and implementation agencies should have a sort of maneuvering, in order to reach established national goals timely and efficiently, but strictly considering the principles of safe and environ mentally sound measures. � The NIP should be periodically evaluated by means of established criteria and indicators, ana lyzed by stakeholders and revised if appropriated. The strategic objectives pursuant to the re quirements of the Stockholm Convention are: Reduction of POPs Releases from Intentional Production and Use (Article 3) � Prohibit production and use (except PCBs in equipment) and eliminate import and export of POPs chemicals listed in Annexes A and B, by the amending of legislation with clearly formu lated provisions according to Stockholm Con vention requirements until 2005. � Establish a schedule for the elimination of the use of PCBs in equipment, according to Stock holm Convention priorities (Annex A, part II, a) after a clear assessment of PCBs content in equipment. Final elimination is scheduled by 2025. � Implement step by step measures for reduction of exposure and risk from use of PCB-contain ing equipment, according to the priorities stipu lated by the Stockholm Convention (Annex A, part II, b) after assessment of PCBs content in equipment. � Prohibit recovery for reuse in other equipment of PCB-containing liquids, according to the Stockholm Convention requirements (Annex A, part II, d) by amendments of legislation until 2010, and establish environmentally sound waste management of liquids and equipments contaminated by PCBs not later than 2028. � Identify PCBs content in other articles and manage them accordingly by 2025. � Evaluate national options for specific exemp tions according to the Stockholm convention re quirements until 2005. � Establish a mechanism for assessment of new pesticides and industrial chemicals (in accor dance with POPs criteria) by 2007. 48 � Implement assessment of pesticides and indus trial chemicals in use according to the POPs cri teria until 2010. Register of Specific Exemptions (Article 4) � Follow up all requirements stipulated in the Stockholm Convention, since the moment when the Register will be officially established. Reduction or Elimination of Releases from Un intentional Production (Article 5) � Further investigation of sources and current management options regarding releases of chemicals listed in Annex C in order to prepare relevant Action Plan by 2006. � Identify BAT and BEP for particular industry and sources by 2010 and introduce BAT and BEP for new sources since 2010. � Promote measures to achieve releases reduction since 2006. Reduction or Elimination of Releases from Stockpiles and Wastes (Article 6) � Finalize collection of prohibited pesticides at district deposits during 2004-2006. � Finalize the strategy for the identification of stockpiles consisting or containing chemicals listed in Annexes A and B and products contain ing POPs listed in Annexes A, B and C by 2006. � Manage obsolete pesticides stockpiles and wastes in an environmentally sound manner fol lowing international standards and guidelines, according to the following scheme: (100% of POPs pesticides contained stockpiles and wastes since 2005, 25% of other stockpiles containing obsolete pesticides since 2006, 50% - since 2007, 75 % - since 2008, and 100% - since 2009). � To establish a schedule for the managing of PCB-containing stockpiles and wastes in an en vironmentally sound manner, starting since the completion of the identification process, but not later than 2007. � To establish a schedule for the managing of products containing POPs listed in Annexes A, B and C, starting since the completion of the identification process, but not later than 2009. � Prohibit recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse and alternative use of POPs listed in the Annex A (except PCBs) by legal provision since 2005. � Prohibit recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse and alternative use of PCBs by legal pro vision since 2006. � Prohibit recovery, recycling, reclamation, direct reuse and alternative use of POPs listed in An nex C by legal provision since 2006. Listing of Chemicals in Annexes A, B and C (Article 8) � Monitor POPs candidates use and impacts and utilize internationally accepted experience and findings. � Strengthen national capacity for chemical risk assessment and risk management by promotion of international cooperation and technical assis tance. Information Exchange (Article 9) � Develop Communication Strategy and establish information exchange links to be implemented by MENR. Public Information, Awareness and Education (Article 10) � Facilitate and promote awareness and under standing of POPs information to the public, de cision makers and other effected groups, basing on the Communication Strategy. Research, Development and Monitoring (Article 11) � Research and development strategy will have to be targeted and phased, showing a high degree of flexibility, in order to be easily adapted as new data will be gathered. � Develop environmental and health oriented monitoring strategies and start step by step im plementation since 2005, beginning with the priority areas, zones and concerns. Technical Assistance (Article 12) � Promote extensive and POPs specific Technical Assistance Program by accelerating the negotia tion process with the international community, and involve potential international financial sources and technology transfer options. Financial Sources and Mechanisms (Article 13) � Promote POPs related Investment Program by accelerating the negotiation process with the in ternational community, and involve potential in ternational financial sources. 49 he goal of the NIP is to ensure com pliance with the national obligations under the Stockholm Convention and to reduce and eliminate risks to hu man health, the environment and national develop ment from past, current and future exposure to POPs. The NIP seeks to encourage, facilitate and support, to the possible extent, national and local authorities in their efforts to collect and properly dispose POPs, as well as to remediate or contain sources of POPs pollution. Moldova has developed this NIP and intends to use the full range of tools to prevent, reduce and eliminate releases and stockpiles of 12 POPs. These tools include international, regulatory, pro grammatic, voluntary, remedial, compliance moni toring and assistance, enforcement, and research tools. GRM will continuously analyze POPs pollu tant sources and reduction options as bases for grouping pollutants, activities, and sectors to maxi mize efficiencies in achieving reductions. GRM will coordinate integration and sequence actions within and across national action plans, and will seek to leverage these actions on international and industry-sector bases. 50 ACTION PLAN6. T � Repackaging measures will prevent releases. � The roof of the pesticides warehouse need to be repared. 6.1. Priority Setting The determination of NIP priorities included the following steps: defining the process and methodology, selecting the ranking criteria, con sulting NGOs and stakeholders, validating identi fied priorities, and transferring priority areas to the NIP objectives. A wide spectrum of stakeholders participated in discussions on which problems are most critical and what measures would be most ap propriate for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention and NIP development. The following groups of criteria were selected to be used for ranking POPs priorities: (i) direct benefits to the public and environmental health, as well as economic and social benefits; (ii) magnitude of the problem at different levels (international, na tional, local); (iii) perception by different stake holders (international community, central and local governments, NGO and the general public, busi nesses); and (iv) affordability & availability (tech nology, infrastructure, staff, financial perspective). The list of Stockholm Convention requirements was assessed against the selected criteria, and five priority areas and respective NIP objectives, impor tant for Moldova in a short-term perspective, were identified: 1. Manage stockpiles (pesticides and PCBs) and wastes (all chemicals under Convention) in a safe, efficient and environmentally sound man ner, in order to reduce or eliminate releases. � To improve legal and regulatory framework for management of obsolete pesticides, supported by the development and introducing of manage ment guidelines and practices. 51 � Site remediation measures as part of planned actions. � Luck of sound stockpiles management. � To foresee incentives for rural communities showing the best results in managing pesticide stockpiles. � To clearly delimitate responsibilities of all stake holders for enforcement of legal requirements. � To propose low-cost urgent measures for reduc tion of releases at the existing stockpiles (pesti cides and PCBs), to re-assess and improve na tional capacities for safe collection, transporta tion and storage of obsolete pesticides and im plement re-packaging and centralisation fol lowed by the safe disposal of obsolete pesticides 2. Develop and implement strategy for identifi cation of POPs-containing stockpiles, wastes and products/articles � To improve POPs pesticides stockpiles and wastes inventory in respect of risk assessment issues. � To improve PCBs stockpiles and wastes inven tory in respect of clear identification of PCBs content and hot-spot identification. 3. Develop strategy for identifying and remedia tion of contaminated sites � To strengthen national capacities for environ mental monitoring and research of POPs con tent in the natural surroundings (soil, water, liv ing organisms). � To develop guidelines for contaminated site identification, including rapid assessment of sites, environmental risk identification, sam pling and analytical methodologies. � To implement a pilot identification of contami nated sites, test identification guidelines, and, if successful, create conditions for country-wide replication � To assess feasibility, local acceptability and af fordability of remediation options. 4. Promote and facilitate public information, awareness, education � To ensure public information, develop specific education and awareness programs, set up mechanisms for public participation, maintain training efforts, involve industry and users, es tablish adequate information dissemination mechanisms. 5. Encourage/undertake research, development and monitoring � To prepare realistic and needs oriented re search, development and monitoring programs, � To improve institutional framework and techni cal capacity for monitoring the POPs and moni tor priority sources/major releases. � To monitor release reduction as an indicator of NIP implementation. The NIP will focus on short-term and urgent measures, while other Stockholm Convention re quirements will be considered in a medium- and longer-term perspective after evaluating the imple mentation results and updating the document. Given the financial constraints, favorable envi ronmental living conditions in the country should be achieved by implementing actions that will bring maximum social, economic and environmen tal benefits for the given levels of expenditures. Considering this criterion, the NIP gives the high est priority to measures that mitigate the direct negative impacts on environmental health and hu man well-being. The NIP focuses primarily on the most affordable, low-cost activities, associated with actions for creation of sustainability, public involve ment, and at the interest of the international com munity and government. Severe economic and financial constraints limit the country’s capability to achieve the expected lev el of POPs release reduction. Therefore, one of the country’s first priorities is commitment of sufficient international financial resources, specifically for technical assistance and for resolving urgent prob lems posing significant threats to public health and the environment. Thus, an important focus of de veloping a policy framework should be finding new means and schemes for resource mobilisation and the financing of environmental expenditures, as well as addressing to other barriers for NIP imple mentation (lack of incentives for resource saving and environmental improvements, related to macro economic difficulties, weak environmental regula tions and enforcement, the insufficient technical ca pacity of public institutions, deficiencies in informa tion sharing and disclosure, and public outreach). The intention of this NIP is to make the whole of the GRM’s efforts on POPs pollutants more than the sum of its parts. NIP will derive from stronger multi-media coordination among national and sec toral programs, and through the significant involve ment of stakeholders. Creation of institutional structure(s) capable to sustain such an approach is a clear current priority. 52 6.2. Proposed Actions The NIP foresees a number of measures to be undertaken in the short-term, presented in the table below. A more detailed description is provid ed in Annexes 1-4. The proposed actions can be grouped in 4 categories, as follows: 1. Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Activities These actions are targeted at amending the cur rent legislation specifically related to the Stock holm Convention and incorporating provisions for establishing a broader chemical safety approach in the country. They also include drafting specific reg ulatory acts and supporting operational guidelines and practical handbooks. An important element is the creation of adequate institutional arrangements for the co-ordination of POPs related activities country-wide and the dissemination of experience gained for overall chemical safety aspects. 2. Capacity Building This category includes actions related to the training of professionals and decision makers, im provement of POPs inventories, increasing the ca pabilities for hot-spots identification, reporting, monitoring and control, research and development. 3. On-ground Remediation Measures These include the repackaging and centralisa tion of obsolete pesticides at the district storage fa cilities, the identification of the most appropriated solution for their final elimination, low-cost mea sures to minimise impacts from abandoned storage facilities, collecting old DDT stocks from the rural households, and remediation measures at the pesti cide dump in Cismichioi and the stockpiles of out of-use capacitors in Vulcanesti and other places. 4. Public Awareness, Training and Education The measures responding to the most urgent needs refer to raising public awareness and ensure proper communication on POPs-related issues, and incorporation of POPs issues in educational pro grammes. 53 Problem Area Objectives Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Activities 1. Modifi cation of legal frame work Provide a legal basis for POPs chemical management under the Stockholm Con vention requirements and set up an overall chemical safety system Revision of existing legal acts; identification of gaps; recom mendations for amendments; stakeholders consultations. MENR, MOH, MAFI, ME, DOC 2005 Pro posal 75,000 GRM, in terna tional donors 2. Admin istrative set-up Establish a platform for high political commitment, further chemical safety policy devel opment, coordination and su pervision of POPs related ac tivities. Amendment of the statute of the National Committee on En vironmental Policy; study tour MERN, other relevant ministries, public bod ies, acade mia, NGOs 2005 Pro posal 50,000 GRM, in terna tional donors Table of Actions 54 Problem Area Objectives Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing Coordinate and manage Moldovan international oblig ations under the Basel, Stockholm, LRTAP and Aarhus Protocol (and poten tially the Rotterdam Conven tion) and to manage the NIP implementation. Nomination of the National Fo cal Point for the Stockholm Convention within the MERN, exchange of information ac cording to the provisions of the Convention and the initial ac tions of the Parties. Develop the project and create the Center for Chemicals Man agement (CCM); establish con sulting support to CCM; im prove the skills and managerial capacity of CCM staff; develop terms of reference and scope of its work for the implementation of the Basel, Stockholm, LR TAP and Aarhus Protocol; de tailed design and tuning of NIP activities MENR 2004 2009 Pro posal 600,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Improve data management and reporting in the field of chemicals. Establish an information sys tem, procure hardware and software, train staff; set up sta tistical and reporting proce dures (identification of informa tion sources, setting reporting formats and information chan nels); establish PRTR MERN, to gether with line min istries, AS, DSS 2005 2009 Pro posal 350,000 Interna tional donors, GRM 3. Develop ment of re gulatory mecha nisms Transfer the POPs related le gal provisions into practical and management tools. Draft regulations; stakeholders consultations MENR, MOH, MAFI, ME, DOC 2004 2006 Pro posal 75,000 GRM, in terna tional donors 4. Drafting of guide lines and hand books Support the legal and regula tory framework by opera tional guides Needs assessment; develop ment of guidelines; consulta tions with operations staff MENR, MOH, MAFI, ME, DOC, AS 2004 2006 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Capacity Building 5. Increa se capaci ty for bet ter mana gement of prohibited pesticides Upgrade the capacity of local authorities for safe and envi ronmentally sound manage ment of stockpiles Design training curricula, train ing courses for 32 districts’ and villages’ authorities (to be re peated every 2 years), supply equipment MENR, MOH, MAFI 2004, 2006, 2008 (to be repea ted every 2 years) Pro posal 60,000 GRM Facilitate implementation of repackaging and transporta tion in an environmentally sound manner Preparation of environmental operational handbook for repackaging and transportation MENR, MAFI, MOH, MOD, DES 2004 2005 Pro posal 30,000 GRM Train MOD and DES for envi ronmentally safe and efficient repackaging and transporta tion Design training curricula, train ing of trainers, training of MOD and DES staff MOD, DES 2004 2005 Pro posal 35,000 GRM 55 7. Invento ry of PCBs in electrical power equip ment Identify PCBs presence in power equipment Sampling and assessment of PCBs presence on-site (by sim plified kits), labeling, hot-spot (risk) assessment, reporting ME, all ener gy enterpris es 2005 2006 Pro posal 150,000 Energy enter prises, GRM, in terna tional donors Identify PCBs concentration in power equipment Planning, sampling, analysis (laboratory control), reporting ME, all ener gy enterpris es 2005 2007 Pro posal costs will depend on the re sults of re connais sance in ventory Energy enter prises, GRM 8. Widen ing of PCBs in ventory to other than energy sectors Increase the knowledge about PCBs concerns at na tional scale Preparation of check-lists and instructions for self-identification of PCBs in equipment, prod ucts, articles; familiarization of a wide spectrum of agencies with inventory needs; analysis of re sponses; preparation of a na tional screening plan for further hot-spot detailed assessment MENR, MOI, MOH, MAFI, AS 2006 2007 Pro posal 100,000 GRM, interna tional donors Problem Area Objectives Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing Improve planning and co-or dination of repackaging and transportation procedures at district level Implementation of rapid feasibil ity study for 32 districts, prepa ration of 32 District Repackag ing Plans, consultations with stakeholders and local authori ties MOD, DES, MENR, MAFI, MOH, local authori ties 2005 Under prepa ration by NA TO 100,000 GRM, in terna tional donors, Ecologi cal Fund Evaluate environmental, so cial and economic impacts of repackaging and transporta tion activities Conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment at national scale and in one typical district (as a pilot activity) MENR, MOH, MAFI2005 Pro posal 75K 100K, includ ing techni cal as sis tance Interna tional donors, GRM 6. In crease ca pacity of energy sector for PCBs identifica tion in power equip ment Familiarize technical and managerial staff with sam pling, identification and label ing procedures, and reporting requirements Preparation of the training man ual, specification of sampling/ analytical kits, training courses for all energy enterprises, preparation of a practical hand book (PCBs identification, label ing, equipment hot-spot as sessment and safety manage ment, reporting), consultation with stakeholders ME, all ener gy enterpris es, major en ergy con sumers 2005 2006 Pro posal 100,000 Interna tional donors, GRM, energy enter prises Increase preparedness for PCBs identification Preparation and coordination of reconnaissance inventory plans for all energy enterprises, pur chasing and distribution of sam pling/analytical kits ME, all ener gy enterpris es, major energy con sumers 2005 Propo sal 30,000 Interna tional donors, GRM, energy enter prises 56 Problem Area Objectives Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing 9. Increas ing of POPs monitor ing na tional ca pacities Tailor POPs monitoring at na tional scale Formulate monitoring strategies tailored for different groups of POPs, sources and media; de sign monitoring programs and sampling requirements; define laboratories’ responsibilities, create a platform for data ex change. MENR, MOH, MAFI, ME, AS 2005 2006 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Upgrade instrumentation of laboratories for POPs moni toring Identification of laboratories’ needs, specification and pur chasing of equipment, supplies, reagents and standards, setting QA/QC procedures and training the staff MENR, MOH 2005 2009 Pro posal 700,000 Interna tional donors, GRM 10. Capac ity build ing for un intended POPs Increase knowledge about unintended POPs sources at national scale Preparation of questionnaire, analysis of replies, estimation of emissions, risk evaluation, sources prioritization MENR, AS 2005 2006 Pro posal 50,000 GRM, in terna tional donors Investigate the extent of pol lution by unintended POPs in a pilot (priority) area Selection of a pilot area and de sign of the sampling program, sampling and analysis (in EU laboratory), interpretation of re sults and formulating recom mendations MENR 2006 Pro posal 100,000 Interna tional donors, GRM 11. BAT and BEP knowl edge transfer Increase the knowledge in using BAT and BEP technol ogy for POPs management and formulate affordable op tions for Moldova Formulate courses curricula, implement seminars, study tour, formulate and discuss options for Moldova MENR, AS and other partners 2006 Pro posal 100,000 Interna tional donors 12. Devel oping an action plan address ing the is sue of un intended POPs Identify, characterize and ad dress the release of uninten ded POPs and facilitate im plementation of practical measures that can achieve a significant level of release re duction and source elimina tion Develop strategies for reduction of unintended POPs releases and promotion of BAT and BEP technologies MENR, MOI 2005 2006 Pro posal 50,000 GRM, in terna tional donors 13. Increa sing pre paredness for conta minated sites man agement Develop appropriate tools for identification of contaminated sites Preparation of methodology for risk assessment, formulation of contaminated sites criteria, con sultations with stakeholders MENR, MOH, AS, MAFI, ME 2005 Pro posal 100,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Preliminary mapping of cont aminated sites Preparation of contaminated sites assessment plan; collec tion of relevant information; consultations with local authori ties, population, businesses; description/mapping of sites identified; incipient analytical works MENR, MOH, MAFI, ME, local au thorities 2005 2007 Pro posal 150,000 GRM, in terna tional donors, local au thorities 57 Preparation of district de posits for concentration of obsolete pesticides Selection of district deposits, preparation of rehabilitation plans, approval of selected dis trict deposits by environmental and health authorities, small re habilitation, commissioning Local (dis trict) author ities, MENR, MOH, MAFI 2004 2005 Partly imple ment ed Can not be deter mined be fore reha bilita-tion plans are prepared GRM, Ecologi cal Fund Implement repackaging and centralization of pesticides in an environmentally sound manner Repackaging and centralization of obsolete dry and liquid pesti cides, and contaminated pack aging materials at 32 districts deposits MOD, DES, MENR, MOH, MAFI 2004 2006 Partly imple ment ed by MOD and DES Can not be deter mined be fore RFS (task 5) GRM, in terna tional donors 16. Low cost, com munity based ur gent ac tions for aban doned de posits Reduce impacts to humans and local environment Preparation of low-cost urgent remediation plans for the aban doned pesticides deposits, ap proval and coordination of plans, fencing, safety/precau tion symbols installation, block ing of doors and windows Local au thorities, MOH, MENR, MAFI 2004 2006 Pro posal Can not be deter mined be fore reme diation plans are prepared Local, GRM, Ecologi cal Fund Problem Area Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing Know-how transfer of low cost remediation options for contaminated sites Preparation of know-how trans fer program, conducting of seminars, study tour, low-cost remediation measures develop ment MENR, MOH, MAFI, ME 2005 2007 Pro posal 100,000 Interna tional donors 14. Pro motion of research and deve lopment Increase awareness and stimulate the scientific com munity in needs oriented re search and development; fa cilitate cooperation schemes Organize international/regional conferences, include POPs re search in GRM programs Development of non-pollution technologies AS, MENR AS, MENR 2004 2009 2005 2009 Pro posa 100,000 200,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Investigation and quantifica tion of POPs impacts on the environment and public health Determination of POPs concen trations in environment com partments, including migration and transformation. Epidemio logical studies on vulnerable and exposed population groups MH, MENR 2006 2009 Pro posal 250,000 GRM, Ecologi cal Fund Remediation measures 15. Repa ckaging and cen tralization of obso lete pesti cides Provision of UN accepted packaging materials, protec tion clothes, equipment, ex press analytical kits Detailed needs assessment, specification, purchasing, deliv ery MAFI, MOD, DES, MOH, MENR 2004 2006 imple ment ed by MAFI (finan ced by GRM and the Eco logical Fund) To be de termined after RFS (task 5) Interna tional donors, GRM, Ecologi cal Fund Objectives 58 Problem Area Objectives Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing Implement incentive mecha nisms so that 32 rural com munities are ready to imple ment other chemical safety projects Selection of the “best” rural community per district, prepara tion of grant proposals MENR 2005 2006 Pro posal 25,000 for implemen tation of village competi tion, total grant amount is 75,000 GRM, Ecologi cal Fund 17. Re move old DDT stocks from house holds Collect old persistent pesti cides (including DDT) stored in the private households, and transport them to the dis trict deposits Selection of implementation agency, training and provision of equipment for selected im plementation agency, negotia tions with commercial compa nies, activities at village level MAFI, local authorities 2005 2009 Pro posal 200,000, including training, equip ment, site visits Interna tional donors, Ecologi cal Fund, GRM 18. Asses sment of final solu tion for obsolete pesticides and aban doned stockpiles Finalize assessment and in vestment project preparation for the final solution regard ing obsolete pesticides stock piles Feasibility study, investment project preparation, negotia tions with donors MENR, MOH, MAFI 2005 2006 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Finalize assessment and in vestment project preparation for the final solution regard ing abandoned and out-of use deposits (buildings, ru ins) Feasibility study, investment project preparation, negotia tions with donors MOH, MENR, Local authorities, MOH 2005 2006 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM 19. Reme diation of Cismichioi pesticide dump Ensure safe storage of dumped pesticides Fencing of territory, renovation of drainage and run-off collection systems, covering of the site with a new protection layer, rou tine monitoring of soil and water MAFI, AS, MENR, MOH, Local authorities 2005 2009 Pro posal To be de termined after addi tional in vestigation Interna tional donors, GRM, Local 20. (op tion1) Fea sibility study for Vulcanesti stock of out-of-use capacitors Finalize assessment and in vestment project preparation for the final solution regard ing out-of-use capacitors re mediation measures Feasibility study, investment project preparation, negotia tions with donors MOE, MENR, MOH 2004 2006 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM 20. (option 2) Reme diation measures for Vul canesti stock of out-of-use capacitors Ensure environmentally sound remediation of out-of use electrical capacitors Hiring of a foreign company for full elimination of electrical ca pacitors shipping abroad ME 2005 2006 Pro posal 1200,000 Interna tional donors, GRM 59 25. Train ing of general public Wide range of POPs players are trained in environmental sound management and chemical safety issues Organizing 5 training seminars per year for various target groups, one Olympiad for differ ent age groups in POPs alter natives every year, develop ment and introduction of train ing packages in POPs for cur rent and future (students) public servants, family doctors, busi ness managers and developers MENR, REC, MOH, NGO 2005 2009 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM, Ecologi cal fund 26. Educa tion Education programs include POPs issues and chemical safety elements Development and dissemina tion of educational packages for specific groups (local and cen tral authorities, pupils, students, vulnerable groups, etc.) Ministry of Education, MENR, NGO 2005 2009 Pro posal 150,000 Interna tional donors, GRM Ecologi cal Fund Note: The co-financing or contribution of the Government, National Ecological Fund or other internal sources will be indicated during the development or negotiation of the projects Problem Area Objectives Proposed Action Lead and Implement ing Agen cies Time frame Status Cost,* US$ Poten tial Sources of Fi nancing 21. Coun try-wide handling of PCB contami nated and damaged equip ment Ensure environmentally sound remediation of PCB contaminated, damaged, leaking and risky power equipment Centralization of abandoned equipment, provision of safety containers, identification of technology for PCBs and PCB contaminated equipment elimi nation MOE, MENR, MOH 2005 2008 Pro posal Can not be deter mined at this mo ment Interna tional donors, GRM Public awareness, training and education 22. Im prove ment of communi cation Ensure effective communica tion on POPs related issues and provision of communica tion knowledge and skills for decision makers, profession als and public 10 short-term courses per year, manual, establishment of a communication framework, adaptation of existing communi cation channels for POPs is sues, development of commu nication procedures MENR, REC, NGO 2005 2009 Pro posal 100,000 Interna tional donors, GRM, Ecologi cal fund 23. Build ing up participa tory process POPs participatory process is effective 2 interdisciplinary meetings/ fo rums per year, 5 group meetings and seminars on exposure risks per year, development of proces ses and procedures for participa tory solution of POPs problems MENR, REC, NGO 2005 2009 Pro posal 600,000 Interna tional donors, GRM, Ecologi cal fund 24. Ex change of informa tion at country and inter national levels National society is aware about POPs issues, risks, consequences and mitigation measures required Development and dissemina tion of POPs- related informa tion in mass media and acces sible publications, including vi sual publicity (at least 10 events per year), one interactive dialog per year, one POPs caravan per year, preparation of one agricultural and industrial non POPs „oasis” for demonstration each year, participation at inter national forums MENR, REC, MOH, ME, NGO, AS 2005 2009 Pro posal 300,000 Interna tional donors, GRM, Ecologi cal fund * The costs were estimated within the WB/GEF Project. This column was excluded from the final version of the document, approved by the Government. he NIP is an operational document providing a framework for the imple mentation of the Stockholm Conven tion in Moldova. The current NIP is only a first step in meeting the obligations arising from the Stockholm Convention and is oriented mainly to the short-term current POPs priorities, covering a five-year implementation period. The NIP implementation is based on the following. The NIP has been developed through an exten sive stakeholder consultation process and passed all national co-ordination procedures. Involving all stakeholders in NIP implementation is one of the pre-conditions for obtaining the expected results. Clear sharing of responsibilities and tasks is a key element of the NIP implementation, and this will call for a close inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral coordination and cooperation. The overall operational coordination of NIP im plementation will be the responsibility of the MENR. The supervision and evaluation of the NIP implementation will be effected by the National Committee for Environmental Policy, which will de cide on its revision or updating, if necessary. The Committee will ensure an effective and efficient in ter-ministerial coordination and cooperation and will promote the incorporation of the NIP requirements into other national strategies, policies and plans. The MENR will create the Center for Chemi cals Management (CCM), thus bringing various re lated international Conventions’ focal points under one umbrella. The CCM will act as the executive body to deal with day-to-day activities in this field and coordinate and manage Moldovan international obligations under the Basel, Stockholm, LRTAP and Aarhus Protocol (and potentially Rotterdam Convention), thus gaining synergies and improving and increasing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, trans parency, accountability and cross-fertilization. The NIP will complement on-going national ac tivities in this area, specifically activities conducted by the MENR, MAFI, MOD and DES for the col lecting and safe storage of obsolete pesticides, as well as the MOE activities on PCBs detailed inven tory and safe storage. It will build synergy with oth er IDA projects, and particularly with Rural Invest ment and Services Project 2, whichwill focus also on improved pest management for crops; and Ener gy II project, which includes several activities with regard to identification and safe storage of PCBs in energy sector. The NIP might also be linked with the World Bank-supported Moldova Trade and Customs project, particularly in supporting devel opment of DOC capabilities related to monitor POPs import/export, transportation, identification and reporting activities. Some of NIP actions will be very costly. Ade quate support from national and international sources is therefore a crucial pre-condition for suc cessful NIP implementation, for both technical as sistance and investments. The GRM seeks technical assistance in the fol lowing areas: � Improvement, increasing coherence and harmo nization of national and international POPs-re lated legal framework, and designing of innova tive financial mechanisms (e.g. “debt-for-na ture-swaps,” HIPC25, etc.); � Support for implementing the NIP, evaluating and reporting on the NIP and related Conventions and Protocols progress, and coordinating with relevant MFI and bilaterally financed projects; � Establishment of a national information system (a database of comprehensive, accurate and reg ularly updated aggregated information on POPs, similar to OECD “Pollutant Release and Trans fer Register”26), and increasing capacity of CCM for data management and presentation. 60 25 World Bank-IMF Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative (Moldova is also eligible to borrow from IMF under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.) 26 On May 21, 2003 Moldova signed the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers to the 1998 Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmen tal Matters, ratified by Moldova on August 9, 1999. 7. IMPLEMENTATION, EVALUATION AND UPDATING T � Strengthening environmental and health monito ring, including analytical and reporting capabilities. � Support to the energy sector in PCBs identifica tion in power equipment and further PCBs elimination measures. � Training of professional staff. � Support in identification, management and re mediation of contaminated sites. � Feasibility studies for planned on-ground mea sures. � Designing and implementing public training and awareness programs, based on the “commu nity-right-to-know and participate”. International financial support for implementa tion of on-ground remediation measures will be needed for: � Providing of UN-accepted repackaging materi als for obsolete pesticides. � Precaution and rehabilitation measures for Ciºmichioi pesticides dump; � Elimination of obsolete pesticides; � Elimination of PCB oils, PCB-contaminated equipment (e.g. capacitors) and wastes; � Contaminated sites remediation. GRM launched discussions with IFIs and bilat eral donors (GEF, France, Sweden, UK, USA, Den mark, Turkey, EU, NATO, etc.) regarding invest ment and technical assistance. Evaluation of implementation progress is an im portant component of the NIP. In will allow for as sessing whether and to what extent the NIP objec tives are being met and what are the NIP compo nents in need of updating. Performance evaluation will be done in a transparent way, through a partici patory process, involving all stakeholders. Their re sults will be made available to the general public. The NIP includes a set of evaluation criteria al lowing the assessment of the implementation progress, efficiency and problems. The MENR will be responsible for collecting relevant information, evaluating the performance indicators, assessing the implementation needs, progress and troubles. The MENR will periodically report on its findings to the Conference of Pariecs and the National Committee on Environmental Policy. Reporting procedures should be developed and all involved parties should be trained accordingly. Ministries and other state bodies will be respon sible for NIP monitoring and evaluation within their sectors. The results shall be part of the deci sion-making process. Local authorities will have monitoring and evaluation responsibilities in the areas of their jurisdiction. The implementation units of the individual projects will be responsible for their monitoring and for reporting. The goal of evaluation indicators is to assess how NIP activities effect the direction of change in environmental quality and to measure the magni tude of that change. While most NIP indicators will allow quantitative evaluation of the implementa tion process and impacts of various activities, many indicators will seek to measure qualitative aspects, e.g., monitoring of the evolution of public attitudes towards POPs problems being addressed through opinion polls and surveys. Furthermore, as the NIP seek to address many institutional issues, which are as much about quality as they are about quantity, both numerical indicators and qualitative assess ment will be employed. The range of verifiable in dicators of the NIP implementation may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: � National legal and regulatory framework amended to meet requirements of the Stock holm Convention; � Specific guidelines/handbooks supporting legal and regulatory framework developed; � POPs information system established and fully operational; � PRTR established; � No. of trained specialists; � Amount (% from total) of obsolete pesticides re packed and transported to new storage places; 61 � Each barrel with obsolete pesticides must be inventoried. � No. (% from total) of conserved old pesticides depots awaiting decontamination; � Amount of obsolete pesticides collected from private households; � Cismichioi pesticide dump remediation mea sures implemented; � No. (% from total) of energy equipment checked for PCBs content and labeled; � No. of compliance checks by SEI at energy en terprises; � Elimination of old capacitors from the Vul canesti electric station implemented; � No. (% from total) of out-of-use capacitors stored under controlled conditions; � No. of sites investigated for POPs contamination; � No. of public awareness, information and educa tion activities; � No. of environmental samples for POPs analysis; � No. of epidemiological studies undertaken; � No. of organizations participating in information exchange and reporting. The verification of indicators will be done through assessment of reports provided by the MENR. The evaluation results: (i) will provide for updating the NIP, as well as chemical safety poli cies and strategies; and (ii) will bring more trans parency into policy development in this field. They will be disseminated to the public authorities (at various levels), private sector, external donors, mass media and the general public. This will be done through the annual State of the Environment Re ports and the MENR website. It has to be stated that the NIP is not a rigid document and will be subject to revisions and up dating on regular basis, e.g. every 5 years. Obvious ly, this will be linked to the performance evaluation process. The main responsibility for NIP perfor mance evaluation and updating lies with the Na tional Committee on Environmental Policy and MENR. 62 � Short-term actions will be focused on “Moldelectrica” stations. � Safe storage of capacitors will prevent releases. Annex 1: Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Activities These include actions for the modernisation of current legislation specifically related to the Stock holm Convention and incorporation of provisions for establishing a broader chemical safety approach in the country. It also includes the drafting of spe cific regulatory acts and the supporting of opera tional guidelines/handbooks for practical applica tion. The important element is the creation of ade quate institutional arrangements for the co-ordina tion of POPs related activities country-wide, and further dissemination of the experience gained for overall chemical safety aspects. TASK 1. Modification of legal framework � The national legislation should contain legal provisions for the administration of the chemical safety management system in Moldova, clearly define responsibilities, specifically prohibit pro duction and use of POPs chemicals and regulate their export/import, as well as provide a legal ba sis for reduction/elimination of releases from unintentional production. The legal provisions should also cover POPs contaminated site man agement issues, define responsibility for POPs contaminated sites, incorporate POPs monitor ing and reporting, regulate assessment of new chemicals meeting POPs criteria, promote BAT and BEP for new and existing sources, as well as requirements for modified materials, products and processes. The objective is to provide a le gal basis for POPs chemical management under the Stockholm Convention requirements and to set up an overall chemical safety system in Moldova. The leading agency is MENR, which should work closely with other stakeholders (MOH, MAFI, MOE, DOC, etc.). The experts should revise existing legal acts, identify rele vant gaps and propose modification of legal doc 63 ANNEXES � Legal provosions will define responsability for POPs contaminated sites. uments accordingly. The results should be dis cussed with the stakeholders and relevant amendments should be agreed. The planned duration of the project is 12 months. TASK 2. Administration set-up � The administration system should create the platform for high political commitment, further chemical safety policy development, better management of chemical safety issues and co ordination of POPs related activities, evaluation of results obtained, fine-tuning of Action Plan, and reporting, as well as for further planning of measures required by the Stockholm Conven tion. The implementation of the Stockholm Convention requirements will be coordinated by the National Committee for Environmental Policy, created in July 2002, which brings to gether senior officials from the key ministries. � To support activities of the National Committee for Environmental Policy in the field of chemi cal safety, the GRM and MENR will consider to bring various related international Conventions’ focal points under one umbrella, transforming the existing POPs PIU into a separate legal enti ty (Center for Chemicals Management - CCM), in order to coordinate and manage Moldovan in ternational obligations under the Basel, Stock holm, LRTAP and Aarhus Protocol (and poten tially the Rotterdam Convention). This will gain synergies and improve and increase efficiency, cost-effectiveness, transparency, accountability and cross-fertilization. The proposed CCM should take management responsibility for im plementing ongoing programs and assume day to-day responsibility for implementing the POPs NIP. The capacity of the CCM should be greatly enhanced, if it is assisted, during the first few years, by an international environmental consulting company with relevant expertise. � To be effective in management issues, the CCM should be supported by a relevant infor mation system. The objective is to create a cen tral information unit for POPs chemicals, to be further enlarged for other chemical safety is sues. It is required to (i) design the information system, including database and GIS applica tions, (ii) install required hardware and software and train the staff for operation, and (iii) test the information system performance. � Establishing a national reporting framework and procedures will first require the amendment of relevant legislation. Then an Instruction for POPs Statistical and Informational Reports should be created to transfer the legal provisions into a more practical document. A set of specific reporting sheets and formats should be pre pared. The sources of information should be identified and delivery formats should be pro 64 � Developed Guidelines will cover remediation measures for the destroyed warehouses. posed. The responsible agency is CCM, in asso ciation with other interested parties. The CCM should be the key recipient of statistical data and should be capable to process and evaluate the data obtained, and to maintain the informa tion system. The to-be-created informational system would serve as a basis for setting-up the Pollution Releases and Transfer Register. The GRM will ensure that annual statistical data from relevant agencies (MAFI, DOC, etc), are furnished to the CCM on a regular basis. TASK 3. Development of regulatory mecha nisms � The new legal provisions should be sustained by specific regulations. The objective is to transfer the POPs related legal provisions into practical and management tools. Regulations should cover at least the following issues: (1) management of district storage facilities for ob solete pesticides and wastes; (2) management of abandoned storehouses and contaminated sites; (3) import/export and transboundary transporta tion of obsolete pesticides and PCBs; (4) proce dures for assessment of new pesticides and pes ticides currently in use against POPs criteria; (5) regulation on statistical reporting on POPs pes ticides and PCBs wastes, products, installations and PCB-contaminated sites; (6) instruction for management of PCB-contaminated power equipment; (6) instruction for storage and man agement of PCBs wastes; (7) recommendations for safe usage of PCBs materials; (8) instruction 65 � Most of the out-of-use transformers were produced in the ex-USSR � Leakages of oil from the transformer for field and laboratory identification of PCBs content in dielectric oils and other materials; (9) guide on performing PCBs inventory and hot spot identification; (10) instruction for trans portation of oils, equipment and other PCB-con taminated materials; (11) instruction for disposal of PCB-contaminated oils and PCB-contaminat ed power equipment; (12) instruction for retro filling the power equipment; (13) instruction for labelling PCB-containing equipment; (14) regu lation on POPs management control. The lead ing implementation agency is MENR, in part nership with MOE, MAFI, DOC, MOH. Ex perts in environmental sciences, chemistry, health, risk assessment and legislation will draft relevant regulations and discuss findings with stakeholders. The duration of the project is 2-3 years and should be phased in, starting with pri ority regulations needs. TASK 4: Drafting of practical guidelines and handbooks for POPs chemicals management � The improved legal framework will provide the general frame for POPs management in Moldo va, and regulations will establish relevant rules and procedures. To be efficient, the legal acts and regulations should be clearly understood by the involved parties and should be supported by relevant operational and methodological guides. Several operational handbooks and guidelines are to be produced, describing methods, man agement options and operational aspects in rele vant areas of the POPs chemical management. The activity is foreseen for the next 2-3 years, after completion of legal and regulatory amend ments. The needs for specific guidelines and handbooks would be assessed and a detailed plan would be prepared. The responsible agency is MENR in close co-operation with rel evant parties. Annex 2: Capacity Building It includes prioritised actions related to training of professionals and decision makers, widening and deepening of inventories for POPs chemicals, hot spot identification, reporting, capacity building ele ments for monitoring and control, further studies and methodology development. TASK 5. Increasing national capacity for better management of prohibited pesticides, including POPs � The managerial capacity of local authorities should be upgraded. For this purposes country wide training should be organised for district and local rural authorities regarding safe and ef ficient management of obsolete pesticides stockpiles. Training will involve primarily au thorities from the settlements where temporary storage of obsolete pesticides is foreseen. Train ing curricula should include stockpiles manage ment options, related risks and their minimisa tion, building relations with the local public, re porting and other issues. Training should be or ganised under the MENR umbrella. The activi ty may take 4 months, including the preparation phase, and should be repeated every 2 years. � The MOD and DES are responsible for the repackaging and concentration of obsolete pes ticides at the selected district deposits. To im prove their capabilities to implement these tasks in an environmentally sound and safe manner, a specific operational handbook de scribing all required procedures (planning, pre liminary assessment of storage facilities, prepa ration of re-packaging/transportation schedule, preparing of MOD and DES staff for field works, procedures for express identification of unknown substances, labelling, packaging in structions, loading, transportation and re-load ing procedures, registration, log-booking and work commissioning) should be produced by a team of national experts. The leading agency is MENR, with partners from MOD, DES, MAFI and MOH. This activity is a top priority, as MOD and DES already started re-packaging in a few districts. The duration of the project is 1-2 months. International expertise may be re quired in the final stage to revise the handbook for ensuring that all internationally accepted safety and environmental protection elements are incorporated. � After drafting the handbook, training of MOD and DES staff will be required, in order to en sure that all operation elements are in place, staff is prepared and understands all require ments. The training should include also a “training of trainers” component, so that MOD and DES officers may replicate training courses with new recruits if necessary. The leading agencies are MOD and DES. The total duration 66 of training courses is about 1 month, including preparation of training materials. � In parallel with the above mentioned projects, a Rapid Feasibility Study for each district is ur gently needed. The study should be finalised by the preparation of a District Re-packaging Plan, which includes following elements: shar ing of responsibilities between parties involved, timetable for re-packaging and order of trans portation, assessment of needs for packaging material, personal protection equipment, ex press analytical kits, etc. The responsible agency is MOD, in co-ordination with DES, MENR, MAFI and MOH. Activities can be fi nanced from the NATO project, which is cur rently in the pre-feasibility phase. The total du ration is 3 months. � In parallel with the Rapid Feasibility Study, the Environmental Impact Assessment for repack aging and centralising of obsolete pesticides should be started. Two inter-related documents will have to be produced. The first one should treat the process of repackaging and centralising at national scale and should mainly follow the methodology for Strategic Environmental As sessment. The second document should be pro duced in more detail (as a demonstration for one typical district). It should follow the methodolo gy of full Environmental Impact and Risk As sessment. Both documents should consider dif ferent alternatives in respect to their environ ment, health, social and economic impacts. The total duration is 3 months. The responsible min istry is MENR, with assistance from MOH and MAFI. International expertise is highly re quired, as well as external financial support. It will be an advantage if the RFS and EIA pro jects will be linked under the NATO umbrella. TASK 6. Increasing the national capacity of the energy sector for identification of PCBs in equipment � The training for the energy sector on PCBs identification in power equipment has to be im plemented at national scale. The responsible agency is MOE. The objective is to train man agerial and technical staff from all energy enter prises (private and public) in uniform sampling and analytical procedures, registration of data, labelling, hot spot identification and reporting. The duration of the activity is 4 months. Tech nical assistance will be sought for this activity. It should include: international and local expertise for the preparation of a training manual and the training schedule, identification and specifica tion of sampling/analytical equipment afford able for Moldova (both for rapid reconnaissance and analytical PCBs identification), provision of 67 � PCBs identification in transformers – a task at national scale. sampling and simplified field kits for training purposes, practical training courses for different types of equipment (transformers, capacitors, circuit breakers, etc.), demonstration of la belling procedures and development of report ing sheets. One of the project outputs is to pre pare and distribute among energy enterprises a practical handbook for first identification, la belling, equipment risk assessment, safety man agement of equipment in use and PCBs report ing in power equipment. � The next step is the preparation of an inventory plan for each energy enterprise and the purchas ing of the required number of sampling/analyti cal kits. All energy enterprises should prepare a plan for testing the inventory by simple analyti cal kits, indicating the time-schedule, the num ber of sampling points, the testing equipment needs, and the reporting schedule. The plans should be co-ordinated by the MOE. The MOE will be responsible for the purchasing of the re quired amount of sampling/analytical kits and its distribution to the energy enterprises. It will lead to a reduction of the unit price, uniformity of methods and better co-ordination of actions. Each energy enterprise should allocate required funds for the preparation of the testing-plan and cover equipment-purchasing expenses. The du ration is about 12 months. TASK 7. Inventory of PCBs content in power equipment in the energy sector � Following the new legal provisions and regula tions and supported by practical handbooks, trained staff and delivered equipment, the re sponsible persons from each energy enterprise should implement a reconnaissance assessment (by simplified kits) of PCBs content in owned equipment, and label it accordingly. The costs of sampling, analytical determination, produc tion and installation of required labels and re porting should be covered by electrical compa nies. Each electrical enterprise should report to the MOE on a yearly basis and submit updated plans for the next year. The report should also contain information on the risks identified for each installation, hot-spot assessment and de scription of safety management options applied or planned. The MOE should provide the data 68 � Detailed inventory of PCBs in transformers. to be introduced in the central POPs database. The total duration of the project can be 2 years. � Having the preliminary information obtained af ter the first inventory phase, the electrical com panies should carefully determine the PCBs concentrations by analytical methods. Each en ergy company should prepare a plan, including the time-frame, the identification of laboratory for analytical control, and the reporting schedule. The plan should be co-ordinated with the MOE, which has the overall responsibility for invento ry. The costs should be covered by the electric enterprises. The costs and duration will entirely depend on the results of the first phase of PCBs assessment. The time necessary to accomplish the task may be roughly assessed at 2 years. The MOE should collect reports and ensure the sup ply of data to the central POPs database. TASK 8. Widening the PCBs inventory to other economic sectors, products and articles � A number of potential PCBs sources (out of the energy sector) should be inventoried for the purposes of PCBs identification under the lead ership of MENR. The following actions are planned: (1) preparation of check-lists for PCBs source owners regarding self-identification of equipment, products and articles potentially containing PCBs. (2) preparation of a reporting outline for the description of the technical/man agement status of equipment, products and arti cles and associated potential risks for human health and environment, (3) distribution of check-lists and outlines for report to various en terprises and agencies with clear instructions, (4) analysis of responses and (5) preparation of a nation-wide screening plan for further imple mentation. The screening plan should pay spe cial attention to the reported damaged and leak ing equipment, presence of equipment in areas associated with food and feed production/pro cessing and in populated areas (schools, hospi tals). The project should be implemented by MENR during 2004-2008. TASK 9. Increasing POPs monitoring capacity of environmental and health authorities � The specific monitoring strategies should be tailored for POPs groups (as pesticides, PCBs, PCDD/PCDF), for different purposes (e.g., source, ambient and impacts monitoring) and for various media and components (water, soil, sediments, biota, agricultural and food produc tion, and humans). The objective is to draft in ter-related monitoring networks, define the sampling schedule and formulate responsibili ties for national laboratories (SEI, MOH, Hy drometeorological Service) as well as create a platform for data management and exchange. The monitoring system should be tested (e.g., in pilot regions) and modified if required. The duration of activity is about 12 months. � The laboratories of SEI, MOH and Hydromete orological Service need upgrading of their in strumentation for POPs detection in different media. Besides, the SEI, as environmental en forcement agency, needs to be strengthened in view of PCBs controls in equipment. The objec tive is increasing the analytical capacities of three laboratories to fulfil country responsibili ties and obligations under the Stockholm Con vention. The Technical Assistance would in clude: identification of equipment needs, speci fication of instruments for sampling and analy sis, provision of methodology, standards, sup plies, setting up QA/QC procedures, as well as the training of staff. The leading agency is MENR, in coordination with MOH. The dura tion is estimated as 24 months. TASK 10. Capacity building element for unin tended POPs release sources � A further widening of unintended POPs sources inventory would be required. The objective is to provide better understanding of current and projected releases of unintended POPs for par ticular sources under the following categories: power generation, heating facilities, waste incin eration, and uncontrolled waste combustion. The responsible agency is MENR, which should prepare a questionnaire and distribute it among relevant enterprises, agencies and enti ties. On the basis of replies the current and pro jected emissions should be calculated, the risk preliminarily evaluated, priorities established and information introduced into the database and mapped. The time frame for the project is 6 months. � A analytical investigation of PCDD/PCDF con tent in the priority environment compartments of Moldova is required for a better understand ing of pollution treats and severity of the prob lem. The objective is to investigate the contami nation of environment components (air, water, soil and wastes, in the vicinity of one or two pri ority sources. The duration of the project is 8-12 69 months. The responsible agency is MENR. In ternational technical assistance is essential. An international expert, supported by local monitor ing staff, should develop the monitoring strategy and design the sampling program. Local special ists have to be trained in sampling. Collected samples should be transported to a selected EU laboratory for analysis. A local laboratory manag er and 1-2 specialists have to be trained at the EU laboratory premises. International financial assistance is necessary to cover project expenses. TASK 11. BAT and BEP knowledge transfer � Currently the knowledge on BAT and BEP is limited in the country, specifically at the level of businesses. The NIP is proposing to organise BAT and BEP knowledge transfer for a broad range of stakeholders and interested parties. The objective is to increase the knowledge of environmental authorities and industry in using BAT and BEP for POPs management. A num ber of specific courses for a range of local stake holders should be implemented, associated with a study tour to a country having experience in this field. The responsible agency is MENR, with relevant partners. The planned duration of the project is 6-12 months. International assis tance is the key to the project success. A foreign consultant company should be hired to organise the courses and the study tour, as well as to for mulate BAT and BEP options for Moldova. TASK 12. Developing an action plan addressing the issue of unintended POPs � The objective of the project is to identify, charac terize and address the release of unintended POPs and facilitate implementation of practical measures that can achieve a significant level of release reduction and source elimination. The re sults of the wider inventory of unintended POPs will allow the developing of strategies for reduc tion of their releases and the promotion of BAT and BEP technologies. The responsible agency is MENR, with assistance from MOI. The planned duration of the project is 12 months. Internation al technical assistance is required. TASK 13. Increasing country’s preparedness for identification of contaminated sites � The level of preparedness for managing the contaminated sites should be upgraded. Criteria for identification of contaminated sites should be developed and agreed by stakeholders. A methodology for risk assessment of contaminat ed sites should be prepared, including aspects of land use, access of population and animals to the site, spreading of pollution to other natural me dia, toxicity and environmental fate of different POPs. The duration of the project is 6 months. The responsible agency is MENR. Internation al know-how and knowledge transfer is an im portant element for project implementation. � Preliminary data collection regarding potential contaminated sites should be started, based on available information. The areas potentially contaminated by POPs are expected to include territories nearby pesticides storage facilities, places for pesticides solutions preparation, places where significant PCBs leakage had oc curred, known places of POPs pesticides and PCBs operational failures, etc. A relevant infor mation should be collected by the SEI in con sultation with local authorities, population, and businesses, and should be presented on maps with site description. A limited number of analyses is foreseen as well. The general respon sibility lies within the MENR. � Currently, there is no experience in the country for wide application of remediation measures specified for POPs contaminated sites. As a first step to increase specific knowledge, the study of various options implicated in other countries is proposed. An international expert should pre pare a review of available options and conduct basic training for local experts, decision makers and the public, and organise a study tour. As a re sult, low-cost mitigation measures, specifically designated for POPs pesticides, PCBs and diox in/furans, should be developed with the partici pation of local experts. The duration of the pro ject is 6 months under supervision from MENR. Funding from international sources is requested. TASK 14. Promotion of research and develop ment Considering that the objective of research is to obtain scientific knowledge on POPs and their im pacts in order to develop mitigation options, the NIP foresees promoting research and development efforts. The program of investigations will have to be targeted and phased, showing a high degree of flexibility, in order to be easily adapted as new data and information will be gathered. � In the field of pesticides, research should be mainly focused on developing recommendations for total elimination of obsolete pesticides. This 70 is considered necessary in order to investigate cost-effective solutions for elimination consider ing at least the following options: (i) incineration, (ii) chemical destruction, (iii) natural long-term degradation under controlled conditions. � PCDDs/PCDFs, HCB and PCBs research should focus on investigations of social and eco nomic effects, evaluation of risk, environmental fate, ecotoxicological effects, study of transport and transfer processes, degradation mecha nisms, bioaccumulation and biomagnification, destruction. � Other major directions of POPs research in Moldova are: assessment of candidate chemicals under consideration for inclusion in the Con vention; technologies for elimination/remedia tion of POPs in the environment; specific stud ies on the impact on population groups in heav ily contaminated areas; studies to increase the understanding of POPs impacts on wildlife; and studies to explore social and economic implica tions of POPs and their alternatives. � Future research in the framework of interna tional cooperation on POPs may include: trans boundary impacts of POPs and its significance; development of analytical methods for deter mining new types of POPs and their metabo lites; study of emission, deposition, transforma tion and bioavailability of POPs in terrestrial ecosystems, soil, sediments, and ground water at regional scale; and environmental behaviour of POPs under various climatic conditions. � The NIP foresees the organization of an inter national/regional research conference on “new aspects of POPs management in the countries of transition”, seeking to support the creation of regional co-operation schemes for researchers and developers. Annex 3: On-ground Remediation Measures Most of the actions described under this chapter refer to the remediation of obsolete pesticides problems, as they are a recognised high priority. The actions include re-packaging and centralisa tion of obsolete pesticides at the district deposits as an intermediate solution, identification of a most appropriated final solution, low-cost measures to minimise impacts from abandoned storehouses, DDT specific actions at household level, and re mediation measures for the pesticides dump in Cis michioi and stockpiles of out-of-use capacitors in Vulcanesti and other places. TASK 15. Re-packaging and centralization of obsolete pesticides � The procurement of UN-accepted packaging materials (bags and cans), individual protection clothes, equipment, small engineering tools and express analytical kits (for preliminary identifi cation of unknown chemical substances in the field) should be started. The leading agency is MAFI, in co-ordination with MOD, DES, MENR, and MOH. An international expert, supported by local specialists, should identify the amount of items needed for the implemen tation of works at national level, prepare the specification and tendering documentation, evaluate proposals and monitor delivery. The total duration is about 8-10 months. Costs for materials and equipment may be determined only after the completion of a feasibility study. International financial support is highly and ur gently needed. NATO may facilitate finding of financial support. � At the same time, preparation of district storage facilities for centralising the obsolete pesticides should be started. On the basis of national safe ty standards, the district authorities should se lect an appropriate facility. Required costs for materials and civil works have to be estimated. The lead agency is MENR, which should pro vide consultation and advice to district authori ties and supervise compliance with safety and environmental requirements, as well as the overall implementation. On the basis of pre pared documentation, the district authorities should implement the repair works. � Re-packaging and transportation of obsolete pesticides should be continued. The objective is to implement these actions in an environmen tally safe manner. The responsible agencies are MOD and DES. Supervision of all works should be ensured by local representatives of MAFI, MENR and MOH. Together with the local au thorities, they should sign the commissioning report. The reports should be presented to the MENR, and information should be introduced into the central POPs database. It is expected that re-packaging and concentration of obsolete pesticides will be finished during 3-4 years; the activity is highly depending from re-packaging materials delivery. 71 TASK 16. Low cost and community based ur gent actions for reduction of impacts from abandoned storehouses � Taking into consideration that re-packaging of obsolete pesticides and their centralisation may take 3-4 years, and that emptied old storage de posits may not be quickly decontaminated or remedied, the NIP proposes the local communi ties to implement urgent, but simple and low cost actions for minimising pesticides releases and for the protection of local environment and public health. The low-cost urgent measures may include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: (i) all facilities (or their ruins if it is the case), either if they still contain obsolete pes ticides or not anymore, should be labeled with visible safety/precaution symbols, (ii) fences around facilities (or their ruins) should be built to limit access of population and grazing domes tic animals, (iii) existing pesticides or their wastes should be covered with plastic, if deposit has a damaged roof, (iv) after the evacuation of old pesticides the windows and doors should be blocked by bricks. The responsibility falls on the local authorities, which should work closely with the MENR. The mayoralties should assess the current status of the facilities and prepare an im plementation schedule and financial plan for low-cost measures. The plans should be agreed by the MENR. On the basis of the agreed plan the mayoralty should mobilise local resources and implement necessary actions. The local community should be involved in the discussion and implementation of measures. � Incentives should be foreseen for the rural com munities that have implemented the urgent low-cost measures in a safe and efficient way. It is proposed that at least one “best” rural com munity per district should be endowed by the Ecological Fund. The grant should be foreseen for the implementation of chemical safety relat ed projects to be initiated by the community it self. The “best” community should be selected by a district commission, formed by representa tives of local government, public, environmen tal, health authorities, and NGOs, on a competi tive base with clearly stated criteria. The re sponsible agency is MENR. TASK 17. Collecting old DDT stocks from households � The objective is to persuade local villagers to re turn stored in the private households amounts of old pesticides, particularly DDT and other per sistent chemicals. The MENR should select, on a competitive base, an agency (company or NGO), which will implement the activities. The agency should have agrochemical, health and en vironmental safety experience. The staff should be trained for safety management of pesticides, repackaging and transportation procedures and should be equipped with protective, packaging and other equipment, including transport. It will be an advantage if commercial companies, dis tributing in Moldova agricultural chemical or bi ological preparations for plant protection, would be able to contribute to the project by covering the operational expenses. Commercial compa nies may also propose to the farmers, in ex change to returned obsolete pesticides, an amount of their products with instructions for their safe utilisation. The GRM and MENR may allocate the necessary financial resources for pur chasing the commercial products at a discount price, to be used as compensation for farmers. An intense awareness campaign should be part of the project. Local authorities will have a critical role for the success of this action. 72 � All obsolete pesticides stocks must be repackaged. TASK 18. Assessment of final solution options for obsolete pesticides and abandoned store houses � The centralisation of obsolete pesticides at the district facilities is only an intermediary solu tion. Further, a final disposal/liquidation solu tion for obsolete pesticides, wastes and contam inated packing materials should be identified with a clear understanding of technical, eco nomic, environmental and financial elements. The NIP proposes as a priority for the planned period to fulfil the assessment of available op tions, to estimate the potential environmental impacts, social and economic benefits, and con sequently to select the most appropriate alterna tive(s). For the selected alternative(s) a feasibil ity study should be implemented. The respon sible agency is MENR. The feasibility study may take about 12 months. International exper tise and technical assistance is highly necessary. � Abandoned and vacated storehouses (and their ruins) are sources of pollution and human health impacts, even if low-cost urgent measures will be implemented as described above. Several op tions exist for dealing with these facilities: they may be decontaminated and used for storing new chemicals, or for other purposes, or disas sembled. The demolished materials may be used for other constructions, or construction ma terials may be treated as a toxic waste. The NIP states the need to study various alternatives and their impacts on the environment, health, social and economic life at national scale, prior to any further actions. The results and recommenda tions obtained will provide a sound base for final decision about out-of-use storehouses. The re sponsible agency is MENR. The study may be scheduled for 12 months. International exper tise and external financing are required. TASK 19. Remediation measures at the Cismi chioi pesticide dump � The last study, implemented under a Tacis pro ject, indicated pollution of soils and shallow groundwater following the landscape gradient. In line with this, precaution measures are pro posed such as: fencing the territory, renovating the drainage and runoff collection systems, cov ering the site with a new protection layer, envi ronmental monitoring, annual inspection and maintenance, etc. All these recommendations should be implemented during 2004-2008. The responsible agency is MENR or MAFI. TASK 20. Feasibility study for the Vulcanesti stock of out-of-use capacitors (option 1) or Re mediation measures at the Vulcanesti stock of out-of-use capacitors (option 2) � (option 1) A feasibility study and EIA are re quired for the Vulcanesti site hosting about 12,000 old capacitors. Feasibility study and EIA should include: (1) an assessment of the current 73 � Additional precaution measures will improve the safety of the pesticides landfill. status of capacitors and of the management op tions applied, (2) the identification of current en vironmental and health impacts, (3) the elabora tion of technical options for the elimination of capacitors, (4) an evaluation of related economic, social and environmental concerns. Clear envi ronmentally sound alternatives to reduce releas es from the Vulcanesti site should be formulated, and financial requirements should be identified. The responsible agency is MOE. The duration of the project is 12 months. International exper tise and international financing is necessary. � (option 2) The Vulcanesti site is hosting about 12,000 capacitors, which are out-of-use and leaking. It is proposed to hire an internationally accepted and experienced company, which will take the full responsibility for remediation mea sures, including the evacuation of capacitors from Moldova. The responsible agency is MOE. The activity may take about 1- 1.5 years. A rough estimate indicates the total elimination costs at US$ 1.0-1.2 million. TASK 21. Country-wide handling of PCB-conta minated equipment � Safe storage of capacitors and other out-of-use, contaminated or damaged equipment awaiting destruction is required. International financial support will be required for the centralisation of capacitors and other equipment identified as hot spots at the disposal place(s), provision of safety containers, and identification of technolo gies for PCBs and PCB-contaminated equip ment elimination. Development of an effective monitoring system for temporary storage places would be of major importance. The owners of equipment should be prepared to purchase new PCB-free equipment. The cost for new equip ment should be covered by the equipment own ers. The total duration of the project is 1-2 years. Annex 4: Public Awareness, Training and Education This chapter responds to the most urgent needs to be met in the short to medium term in the follow ing areas: raising public awareness on the dangers as sociated with POPs, training on POPs risks for most exposed (target) groups, as well as incorporation of POPs issues in the educational programmes. TASK 22. Improvement of communication within Moldovan society on POPs related issues � The improvement of communication within so ciety is envisaged through the establishment of a communication framework, incorporating the following actions: provision of communication knowledge and skills to the staff of central and local public authorities, environmental and health protection agencies, NGOs, public com 74 � Old capacitors at Vulcanesti station require urgent remediation measures. panies, research institutes, universities. Estab lishment of mandatory institutionalized com munication procedures between agencies and in relation to the public, providing of high quality communication equipment, creation of periodic informational releases, accessible to all groups, promotion of a socio-economic environment favourable for the personality empowerment and respect to people’s opinion are the key ele ments of the actions required. The range of communication tools could include all commu nication techniques, starting with presentation and messages in mass media and general meet ings of communities, interactive dialogues, mi cro-seminars between colleagues within and outside the profession, and ending with prepa ration and presentation of information through the existing communication channels of each community, such as professional meetings, en tertainment facilities, local radio, children’s net works, interest groups sessions, handicraft sit tings, other accepted ceremonies and media. Provision of communication knowledge and skills could be carried out through a set of short term courses in communication with the popu lation, offered to relevant agencies, organiza tions and institutions, including the Ecological Inspectorate, the public relations sections of rel evant ministries, active ecological NGOs, repre sentatives of the educational institutions with ecological or rural profile as well as selected rep resentatives of the polluting companies. The training in communication of all these groups could be accomplished through short training courses. The course material could include the following areas: interpersonal communication skills, sharing of information between agencies, presentation of information to the public, gener al public relations, facilitation skills, relation ships with mass media, preparation of accessible reports on activity. The course material could be accompanied by a short manual in communica tion in respect to POPs and other chemicals. TASK 23. Building up a participatory process in respect to POPs and chemical safety issues � The POPs related problems have better chance to get close to their successful resolution in the pres ence of a large-scale participatory process. The NIP preparation has already initiated steps for building up the participatory process, including: participatory framework for consultants, periodic events for exchange of opinions with relevant state institutions, NGOs, general public, access ing existing ecological networks for NGOs, cre ation of a Web site. The efforts of the MENR to maintain relationships with and to support ecolog ical NGOs are also a significant step in building the participatory process. Further development of the participatory process for its institutionalisation as well as provision of skills in participation, main taining of participatory processes and tools is planned. Review of the current responsibilities of the state agencies should be carried out, so that they would comprise regular affairs to the public, meetings with the concerned groups, open days, official presentations in mass media, maintenance of interactive tools for complaints and alerts. The objective could be achieved through the provision of training courses for the various groups relevant to POPs problems, including the state agencies, NGOs, educational institutes, business compa nies, consumers, women, children and least edu cated target groups. TASK 24. Ensuring of information exchange at the country and international levels � National exchange of information in POPs relat ed issues is important both for the awareness building process and for generation of new knowledge. The most important actions would be inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary meetings, meetings of different generations’ representa tives, access to and use of relevant networks, ac cess to information about the state of the envi ronment in each community and within the country as a whole. The main tool for the ex change of information would be a monthly or a quarterly POPs newsletter. Mixed age groups conferences and symposiums, regular confer ences between the most relevant actors in the POPs process, such as: ecological inspectors, re searchers, representatives of polluting compa nies, physicians, representatives of agencies re sponsible for the management of natural re sources, etc would also serve the purpose. Local and national databases of POPs sources would be developed and made available to the public. � At international level, information relevant to the solution of the POPs problem could be ac cessed internationally with other Parties to the Convention through bilateral and multilateral partnerships, creation of POPs networks, confer ences, symposiums, contests, awards for alterna tives to POPs, projects for solution of specific POPs related problems. The Republic of Moldo 75 va could contribute internationally with POPs al ternatives, BATs and BEPs generated through national exchange of information, participatory indicators for POPs developed by the research institutions and NGOs, demonstration of reme diated sites and improved POPs decreasing solu tions in agriculture and in protected areas. � In order to build awareness in POPs related is sues in the bulk of the population, the use of par ticipatory forms of information dissemination is advised. The feedback tools are also important, due to the wealth of experience existing within the population in dealing with the chemicals, both in agriculture and industry. Other means could include agricultural and industry non POPs “oases”, built specifically for gaining expe rience in POPs substitution with alternatives and for the dissemination of such experience through demonstration. Such actions could be supple mented with lifestyles and activity patterns col lected from different zones of Moldova, industry technology changes favourable to the environ ment, collections of best practices in POPs reduc tion, specific recommendations to representa tives of different occupations, etc. The aware ness-building tools with the greatest impact would include interactive programmes and dia logues in mass media, video spots and materials, POPs information caravans and excursions to more affected localities, national contests in POP reduction, visual publicity, such as stickers, leaflets, and posters. At local level, general meet ings of localities dedicated to POPs topic, POPs reduction campaigns would also be of use. TASK 25. Training in POPs for the target groups � Training in POPs areas is needed for the repre sentatives of all main target groups of occupa tions and professions relevant for POPs prob lems, and entities capable of disseminating in formation to a wider public, such as central and local public authorities, physicians, school and university teachers, kindergarten educators, ad ministrative staff of industries, managers and trainers of NGOs and professional growth insti tutions, leaders of political parties, organizations for economic and social development, financial and banking structures etc. The training process could focus on civil servants most closely related to the POPs issues, representatives of the con cerned NGOs and socio-economical factors. This first corps of POPs related information holders, having access to more detailed and more specific information than the one offered to the general public through information campaigns, could be treated as promoters of POPs related information and knowledge and encouraged to share it with the wider public. The training of these groups could include not only the whole range of information on POPs agents known as of the date of the training and their impact, but also practices and skills for the extension of POPs related information, references to addi tional information sources, participatory meth ods of data collection and transfer of information, skills for incorporating POPs related concerns in to the decision-making process at respective lev els. Small accessible POPs guides describing POPs sources in different occupations and in households, as well as the precautionary actions needed in their application, would serve as use ful props for the training process. TASK 26. Facilitation of education in POPs � The education in POPs areas is significant not only through the need to pass the knowledge to the younger generation, but also through the moral obligation of the current generation to maximally contribute to the remediation of the damage done to the environment and to health of children and young people by the current and preceding generations. The education process needs predominantly a creative approach to wards teaching methodology, involving case study, role play, brainstorming, teamwork. This educational framework could be supported through addressing the emotional dimension in cases suitable for the knowledge transfer. Along with a general overview of the POPs problem, the educational material could include a histori cal perspective, as well as a clear explanation of the real sources of POPs in the country, region and their own locality, and, importantly, project work and practical activity for reduction of POPs amounts and impacts on health and environ ment, excursions and other visualisation, in spection and reflection exercises on the best practices for POPs reduction and elimination. The young generation’s creativeness could be employed though practical POP reduction activ ities under the guidance of relevant adults, such as ecological inspectors and competent teachers, which is also an effective educational tool. Chil dren and students could research POPs alterna tives, BATs and BEPs and contribute to their dissemination. 76 77 Figure 4. LOAD OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS ON RIVER BASINS 78 Figure 5. LOAD OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS ON LANDSCAPES 79 Figure 6. LOAD OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS ON SOIL REGIONS Imprimare la Combinatul Poligrafic, str. Mitropolit Petru Movilã, 35; MD-2004, Chiºinãu, Republica Moldova. Comanda nr.