A first major problem, of which the Moldovan authorities are very aware, centres on the assessment of water's true production costs.  It is an absolute priority in the light of national water resource management objectives.  Water abstraction, treatment and supply, waste-water collection and sewer systems, waste-water treatment plants and their final discharge all give rise to costs, which need to be properly assessed.  The lower the operating efficiency of the equipment in the different phases, the more important this assessment.  A very big effort should be made to recover the cost of operating and maintaining water facilities.  As energy costs increase, the capacity of water users to pay for water will be further eroded.  This situation requires the formulation of an adequate tariff policy at the national level.  Moldova's water management authorities are truly willing to solve these problems, also through international cooperation.

Recommendations:
The assessment of the full costs of water abstraction and supply, waste-water collection, treatment and discharge should be seen as a priority for Moldova's water resource management.  It is essential for re-formulating the national water tariff policy.  The assessment should include all economic costs, be they related to the operation of all relevant technical installations, their maintenance or their replacement.

As a precondition for the implementation of effective cooperation between all administrations involved, water management should be represented at ministerial level as part of overall environmental management.  River basin administrative units should be created for each basin.  Cooperation should be extended to NGOs in the context of EIEs.

The necessary streamlining of the monitoring system between the different partners should, among other results, lead to more reliable and more complete monitoring data.

The revision of bilateral water treaties with neighbouring countries should give rise to the specification of the use of common water resources during droughts, as well as of detailed limit values for water parameters to be aimed at by the partners in the treaties.

The supply of safe drinking water to the rural population should be sought with the help of a legal and administrative (including budgetary) framework that enables local authorities to control and enforce effectively all relevant water quality standards as well as the implementation of related water policies.

The water management authorities should avoid all unnecessary delays in the introduction of appropriate metering systems as a prerequisite for the recovery of water costs.