The EEA, with support fromPricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Lithuania, evaluated the maturity of environmental information sharing and dissemination in the six Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). The evaluation aimed to help the countries develop national roadmaps with concrete measures to modernise environmental information systems and raise the profile of environmental information in national open data and e-government processes.

The national round table took place at the Aarhus centre on 26 September 2019.

The round table was attended by representatives of the EEA, the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and other executive authorities and by members of the public.

The round table discussed concrete steps to advance the sharing and integration of environmental information by exploring the legal, organisational and technical conditions framing national e-government and open data initiatives. Moreover, this project activity is closely linked with activities overseen by the UNECE Aarhus Convention and the Kyiv Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, as well as with current initiatives taking place in the EU on open data, streamlining reporting and improving access to environmental information. Discussions were based on the findings of the country maturity report and the roadmap on the measures identified for further action in this direction.

Participants discussed the roadmap and the conclusions on open data and e-government for Ukraine, issues in the development of the environmental information system Open Environment, and how to exchange environmental information between executive authorities.

This event, which is part of ongoing EU-funded technical assistance, follows a regional event in Kyiv, Ukraine, 5-6 March 2019, where representatives from all six Eastern Partnership countries reviewed the findings of the evaluation of the maturity of open data for the environment. Findings of the national round tables were presented in the second regional workshop on open data and e-government for the environment, back-to-back with the sixth meeting of the Task Force on Access to Information under the Aarhus Convention, 2-4 October 2019.

The event was covered by the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine and on Facebook.