The Estonian Environmental Research Center (EERC) is a leading chemical and physical lab analysis provider in Estonia, whick is a 100% state-owned company specialized in water, air and soil analysis, lab analysis of raw materials and products, management of environmental projects, environmental impact assessment and audit, research and development, environmental consulting and training, hazardous waste analysis and handling, and providing customs lab services. EERC provide chemical and physico-chemical analysis of surface water, ground and waste water, and rain water, carry out assessment of performance of water treatment plants and environmental impact of accidents.

In this project Estonian Environmental Research Center acts as the project leader and the main tasks and responsibilities are the following:

• Overall Project coordination and management as Lead Partner;
• Submission of the partner report and the progress report of the whole project;
• Making payments to the accounts of the project partners;
• Review of the partner`s budget lines and if necessary accept or reject the overspending;
• Chairing the working groups;
• Organizing meetings and seminars in Estonia and Latvia;
• Organizing two conferences;
• Project communication and other public information activities;
• Creating the homepage of the project (in English) and keeping the website up-to-date;
• Making a poster A3 of the Program for each partner premises;
• Issuing the press releases (at least 2, at the beginning and finishing the project).

The Ministry of Environment of Estonia (MoE-Est) – the area of government of the ministry includes organizing the use, protection, re-production and accounting for natural resources, organizing the use of external tools for environmental protection, as well as compiling strategic documents and legislation. Is the competent authority in all river basin districts on the Estonian territory. Coordinates development of RBMP, Programme of measures and other plans related environmental conservation and protection (as well Action plan for Nitrate Vulnerable Zone). The area of government of the ministry include The Environmental Board, The Environmental

Inspectorate, Estonian Land Board, State Forest Management Centre (RMK), the Foundation Private Forest Centre (PFC), Estonian Environmental Research Centre, Geological Survey of Estonia, Estonian Map Centre, and others.

In this project the main tasks and responsibilities of the Ministry of Environment of Estonia are the following:

• Economic analysis input;
• Environmental screening and ecological quality assessment;
• Harmonize the status evaluation and monitoring between Estonia and Latvia;
• Contribute as an environmental expert in development on action plans;
• Information on effectiveness on measures and reduction on pollution loads.

The Environmental Board of Estonia (EEB) is a state authority administrated by the ministry of the Environment. The main task is to implement the state’s policies on the use of the environment, radiation safety and nature conservation and to contribute to the development and improvement of legal acts and other official documents related to the environment. The field of work of the Environmental Board cover the environmental use (mineral resources permits, pollution permits, permits for the special use of water, radiation protection permits, integrated permits, waste permits, approvals – EIA/SEA, plannings, etc), nature conservation (protection rules, protection management plans, species protection plans, conservation of fish stocks, maintenance of semi-natural biotic communities, approvals natural resource utilisation), forestry (forest notifications, forest protection and reforestation expert assessment, supervision of forest cultivation material, formation of hunting areas, hunting councils) and environmental education (coordination of environmental education, providing environmental programs, including schools). Concerning the River Basin Management Plans, the Environmental Board is the responsible institution for the implementation of the program of measures and is the institution, who has to establish an action plan for the implementation of the program of measures for each river basin.

In this project the main tasks and responsibilities of the Environmental Board of Estonia are the following:

• Coordinate establishment of action plans of measures for Gauja/Koiva and Salaca/Salatsi river basins;
• Development of joint programs of measures taking into account all collected data;
• Assemble/elaborate the proposals/measures made by scientists;
• Exchange of practices on implementation of existing measures in Estonia by Environmental Board, exchange of good practices on implementation of measures;
• Organizing the meetings of the working group in Estonia;
• Revising of measures of Latvia, finding intersection and possibility for implementation in Estonia;
• Exchange of good practices, introduction of measures already implemented in Estonian river basins to Latvian partners.

The Environmental Agency of Estonia (EAE) is a state authority administrated by the ministry of the Environment. Field of activities of EAE are: the implementation of national environmental monitoring program, organizing exchange of environmental information on national and international level, assessment of environmental status, weather forecasting and warnings as a vital services and assuring of monitoring data needed for these vital services.

In this project the main tasks and responsibilities of the Environmental Agency of Estonia are the following:

• Coordination from Estonian side the development of pressure analysis and joint monitoring program;
• Compilation of existing data;
• Pollution source and pressure analysis;
• ESTMODEL modelling and water specialist information system (VeeVeeb) for modelling of pollution loads and sources;
• Carrying out a pilot study to analyze the possibilities to combine different type of monitoring;
• Developing joint monitoring program for Koiva/Gauja and Salaca/Salatsi river basin.

Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre (LEGMC) is a State limited liability Company with a delegated public-service tasks: development of environmental monitoring system according to national and European policy needs, international recommendations and guidelines; assessment of environmental quality and natural resources; reporting on environmental quality, meteorological, hydrological phenomena, warnings of dangerous and natural disasters, weather and hydrological forecasting; environment laboratory testing; management of environmental data, maintenance of databases on water resources and inland water quality, air emissions, air quality, chemicals, waste management and polluted areas. Great experience of taking part in different EU and State funded projects already more than 7 years.

In this project the main tasks and responsibilities of the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre are the following:

• Status and pressures assessment, Habitat modelling and E-Flow evaluation for Gauja/Koiva and Salaca/Salatsi river water bodies;
• Contribution to Economic analysis;
• Creating joint Action plan for river and lake water bodies in Gauja/Koiva and Salaca/Salatsi river basins;
• Development of joint monitoring program for Gauja/Koiva and Salaca/Salatsi river basins;
• Exchange of knowledge and good practices between Estonia and Latvia;
• Improvement of BAIS (Baseinu apsaimniekošanas informatīvā sistēma – River basin management information system) system.

Burtnieku County Municipality is the local municipality responsible for sustainable development of nature resources (and tourism) in the area including Lake Burtnieka – the fourth

largest lake in Latvia, as a part of Gauja/ Koiva river basin. Improving of ecological situation of Lake Burtnieki and providing support to local society and entrepreneurs has been designated as a strategic goal in the Development Strategy for municipality and respective action plan. Municipality has appointed workforce capacity and has allocated financial resources to ensure long-term maintenance of water resources Lake Burtnieki as a part of Gauja/ Koiva river basin. Local government has initiated a several researches on ecological situation of Lake Burtnieks. Burtnieku County Municipality has an experience in the preparation and implementation of project applications for the EU funds and other financial instruments – European Social Fond (ESF), European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), European Fisheries Fund (EFF), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and other international funds Burtnieku County Municipality also is the only responsible organization for maintaining water, fishing and recreational resources of Burtnieka Lake on daily management basis, which is organized in strong and long term cooperation with local fishing farms and other entrepreneurs that use water resources in Burtnieki county as well as NGO’s and local society groups.

In this project the main tasks and responsibilities of the Burtnieku County Municipality  are the following:

• Organizing seminars, workshops for municipalities;
• Informative material on water management issues (LV);
• Installation of in-situ small-scale equipment for reduction of nutrients, assessment of impact and potential effect.

Limited liability company “AKTIIVS” (AKTiiVS) is a company based in Latvia and established in 2004 with an aim to provide economic research and consultancy for water and biodiversity protection. Since that it has been involved in all national assessments on the economic analysis for the RBMP in Latvia, has worked also on the economic analysis for development of the Estonian and Lithuanian RBMPs. AKTiiVS was also responsible for performing the economic analysis in Latvia for the EST-LAT Gauja/Koiva project. Expertise of AKTiiVS covers such topics as economic analysis of water use, economic valuation of water ecosystems, assessment of policies’ implementation and their socioeconomic evaluation (e.g. cost-effectiveness analysis of measures), international coordination and exchange of experiences (including by representing Latvia in the EU and the Baltic Sea region expert groups), institutional capacity building and consultations with stakeholders for implementation of the economic elements of water and biodiversity protection.

AKTiiVS has large experience in international projects by providing implementation of studies, data collection, elaboration of methodologies, assessments and recommendations, organising institutional capacity building and experience exchange.

In this project the main tasks and responsibilities of the Limited liability company “AKTIIVS”  are the following:

• Leading and coordinating the joint EST-LAT work and conducting the analysis for Latvia for the economic analysis activities: joint analysis of the water use and users, joint assessment of the costs caused by water use and their recovery, economic evaluation for selecting efficient measures to achieve environmental targets;
• Contribution into the activities on exchange of knowledge and dissemination of the results in relation to the economic analysis.