China, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Water

"While water-related cooperation with China is only in the opening stages, Estonia and Estonian businesses could definitely benefit more from that cooperation," Kiisler said in a press release on Thursday.

"We have been making projects and investments in Estonia for the past 20 years in order for quality drinking water to be available to the people and waste water to be treated in an environment-friendly manner. In the course of this work we have obtained experience and know-how that we can transfer also to China. In addition, information technology is one of the strengths of Estonia, also in the area of developing information systems, and we could share those skills with China too," Kiisler said.

The Estonian minister of the environment is taking part in a high-level meeting in the city of Turku, Finland on Thursday that is aimed at promoting water-related cooperation between Estonia and China. In his remarks read at the event, Kiisler presented Estonia's good experiences and achievements in the said field.

The China-Europe Water Platform (CEWP) was established in 2012, when the Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China and the presidency of the Council of the European Union, represented by the Danish minister of the environment, launched the CEWP at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, by signing of a joint statement. In subsequent years activity based on that platform has been rather subdued.

The Turku conference is aimed primarily at breathing new life into the program. During the conference a document called Turku Declaration will be signed to once again emphasize the importance of water related cooperation between the EU and China.

Kiisler opened the conference with Karmenu Vella, the EU commissioner on the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, Finland's Environment Minister Timmo Tiilikainen and China's Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei. Ministers of the environment from several other EU member states and representatives from the World Bank and the OECD are taking part in the conference.

In the course of the day the Estonian environment minister has meetings scheduled with the environment minister of Finland, the secretary general of the Ministry of the Environment of Denmark and the Chinese minister of water resources. A meeting with representatives of the environmental organization Global Green Growth Institute is also planned.