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EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL ENVIRONMENT The Director-General Brussels ENV.C.1/CC Ambassador Kyllike Sillaste- Elling Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU Rue Guimard 11–13 1040 – Brussels BELGIUM [email protected] [email protected] Subject: Launch of a structured Water Dialogue with each Member State to significantly enhance the implementation of EU water legislation Dear Ambassador, As part of the recently adopted Water Resilience Strategy (1), called for by the European Council and the European Parliament, the Commission stressed the need to significantly improve the implementation of the EU water legislation, for the Union to be able to face the water crisis. On 4 February 2025, the Commission adopted a report to the Council and the European Parliament on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) (2) based on the assessment of the third River Basin Management Plans and second Flood Risk Management Plans submitted by Member States. This report is accompanied by country-specific staff working documents for each Member State. These analyses provide detailed information on the implementation of the two Directives in the country, identified severe challenges and gaps and established country- specific recommendations to ensure all necessary efforts are taken before 2027. In the Water Resilience Strategy, the Commission announced that, to follow up on these findings and recommendations, it will conduct “Structured Water Dialogues” with each (1) COM/2025/280 final. (2) COM/2025/2 final. Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111 Office: BRE2 07/DCS – Tel. direct line +32 229-80319  Member State to work jointly towards significantly accelerating action and overcome the root causes of the implementation deficit. The “Structured Water Dialogues”, that will be conducted between 2025 and 2027, are a political process that will yield a list of key joint commitments agreed between Commissioner Roswall, responsible for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, and the relevant Minister responsible for water management, to steer a major leap forward in implementation. Such agreement will be presented publicly in the capital of the Member State concerned. To prepare such political agreement, the Commission will conduct two preparatory technical meetings, which should result in a better joint understanding of the most important deficiencies to be swiftly overcome and the support the Commission can offer to do so. For those meetings, the Member State is best placed to decide on the composition of the national delegation. However, given the deficiencies identified, the Commission strongly encourages the engagement of representatives from all relevant competent Ministries/authorities whose areas of action have a strong bearing on water management, namely environment, agriculture, energy, transport, infrastructure, budgetary control. With this letter we would like to inform you that we are planning to hold the technical meetings with Estonia in the course of 2026. The Commission expects to share a concrete timeline at the Informal Meeting of EU Water and Marine Directors scheduled for 27-28 November 2025, in Copenhagen. Further to that, we will propose concrete dates for the technical meetings, as well as a series of questions to prepare the ground for those meetings. I hereby invite you to appoint a focal point to liaise with, in the next stages of the Structured Water Dialogue. This process will be led by the unit on Sustainable Freshwater Management in DG ENVIRONMENT. For any further information you may wish to contact Head of Unit Claudia Olázabal or Director Veronica Manfredi. We look forward to initiating this important joint process, which we trust will make your country more water resilient and thus also benefit the joint efforts of the Union in this domain. I thank you in advance. Yours sincerely, Eric MAMER 2 Electronically signed on 26/09/2025 16:27 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121 Saatja: "Webdesktop" <[email protected]> Saaja: [email protected] Teema: Webdesktop: Launch of a structured Water Dialogue Kuupäev: 2025-09-29 10:10 Tere! Edastan Komisjoni kirja. Palun saatke vajadusel veel edasi. EV AEEL juures reg. number: 10.2-12.K/937 Reg. kuupäev: 29.09.2025 Sisu: Launch of a structured Water Dialogue with each Member State to significantly enhance the implementation of EU water legislation / to appoint a focal point to liaise with, in the next stages of the Structured Water Dialogue -- Heade soovidega Tiiu Noobel sekretär, EV alaline esindus EL juures +32 2227 4337 Saatja: Esindus EL juures üldaadress </O=ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/OU=EVM/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=ESINDUSELJUURESYLDAADR> Saaja: Tiiu Noobel Teema: FW: Launch of a structured Water Dialogue with each Member State to significantly enhance the implementation of EU water legislation - Ares(2025)8122783 From: ENV C01 ARES <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 26, 2025 6:38 PM To: Esindus EL juures üldaadress <[email protected]>; Kyllike Sillaste-Elling <[email protected]> Subject: Launch of a structured Water Dialogue with each Member State to significantly enhance the implementation of EU water legislation - Ares(2025)8122783 Dear Ambassador, Please find enclosed for your consideration a letter signed by Mr Eric Mamer, Director-General for DG Environment. Kind Regards, ENV Water team