Agreement on joint management of the territories in the Lake Ladoga drainage area

In view of the socio-economic situation in the country the necessary water protection measures and management of the territories in the Lake Ladoga drainage area are implemented via a legally-binding document - Agreement between executive authorities of the Leningrad, Pskov, Novgorod, Vologda, Archangel, Tver regions, St. Petersburg, Republic of Karelia and Government of the Russian Federation on joint sustainable use, regeneration, protection and restoration of water objects, as well as co-ordination of water management in the Neva river basin.

This agreement was signed by the heads of all listed administrations, and vice-Minister for natural resources of the Russian Federation.

The main aim of the agreement on the Neva river basin is to create pre-requisites for the implementation of the top priority measures to achieve practical results in common sustainable use, restoration and protection of water objects, as well as co-ordination of water supply in the territory of the drainage basin, which includes also Lake Ladoga.

To this end the list of priority measures is annually amended with regard to accomplishment (or failure) of the measures planned earlier.

The documents which formed the basis for the development of the Agreement were: RF Water Code, RF Law "On environmental protection", Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

In accord with the Agreement all Parties which signed the document shall take all legal, technical, organizational and financial measures to prevent, restrict and reduce any kind of transboundary impact.

The Parties also practice co-operation in order to achieve the objective of the Agreement, develop, discuss and co-ordinate their policies, strategies and programmes related to prevention or limitation of water pollution and to environmental protection.

The document classifies not only surface and ground waters, but also their watershed areas as water objects. Parties to the Agreement shall regularly monitor water protection zones and protective belts in order to provide the water protection regime of economic activities in them.

The Parties shall follow the "Polluter pays" principle.

The Parties take all relevant measures and co-operate in prevention, reduction and control of contamination caused by burial of pollutants, practice scientific and technical co-operation and monitoring of water objects within the framework of the Agreement.

Executors in charge - Customers of the activities for the implementation of the priority measures are Local Water Management Committees and Departments for specific watersheds of the RF Ministry for Natural Resources with the parity financing from local budgets, environmental funds and other sources.

The activities of Regional Water Management Committees are to be co-ordinated by the RF Ministry for Natural Resources and the Neva-Ladoga watershed department.

The Parties are planning to organize a working group in the form of the Conciliatory Council for the Watershed with necessary powers. The Council will finalise and submit for approval the normative and methodological documents and proposals on the regulations of cross-border relationships between the territories.

The names of the Council members have not been decided yet. The plans are to appoint vice-heads of administrations of the federation subjects which are parties to the Agreement, as well as representatives of the executive authorities dealing with natural (water) resource use and protection.

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