Experiences from the Danube River Basin€¦ · ICPDR and the EU Water Framework Directive In the center of activities of ICPDR Implementation is legal requirement for 8 EU Member

International Cooperation in Water Management

ICPDR/Hungary

Maria Galambos

Buenos Aires, 12 June, 2013

Experiences from the Danube River Basin

Danube River Basin from Black Forest to Black Sea most international - 19 countries

Human activities damaged the Danube

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Evolution of cooperation

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• Danube Declaration (Bucharest, 1985)

limited territorial scope (the main river only)

limited content (flood, water quality, water ballance)

• Conference of the Organisation for Security and

Cooperation in Europe on the protection of the

environment (Sofia, 1989) - ECE Water Convention

(Helsinki, 1992)

• Conference to initiate elaboration of a Danube

Convention (Budapest, 1991)

• Environmental Program for the Danube River Basin

and follow up donor programs from 1991

•

Danube River Protection Convention

29 June 1994, Sofia (Bulgaria)

Protection of water &

ecological resources

Sustainable use

of water

Reduce nutrients &

hazardous substances

+ Reduce load into the Black Sea

The ICPDR also coordinates implementation of the EU Water

Framework Directive & EU Floods Directive at Danube basin level

Manage floods

& ice hazards

Contracting Parties The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Serbia

Montenegro

Romania

Bulgaria

Rep. of Moldova

Ukraine

European Union

Germany

Austria

Czech Republic

Slovakia

Hungary

Slovenia

Croatia

Coordination Mechanisms

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ICPDR

Co-

operation Co-operation at sub-basin level: e.g. Tisza, Sava

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ICPDR Delegations of Contracting Parties

River Basin

Management

RBM EG

PM EG

MA EG

Flood EG

IMGIS

EG

PP EG

ICPDR

Secretariat

ad hoc

S EG ad hoc Strategic

Pressures &

Measures

Monitoring &

Assessment

Flood

Protection

Public

Participation

Information

Management &

Geographical

Information

System

APC EG

Accident

Prevention/Control

Task

Groups Stakeholder involvement:

22 observers

ICPDR and the EU Water Framework Directive

► In the center of activities of ICPDR

► Implementation is legal requirement for 8 EU Member States

► Political commitment of 6 Non-EU Member States to work towards a

coordinated Danube River Basin Management Plan

► Main objective: reach good status of water bodies by 2015 Surface waters: good ecological and chemical status Ground waters: good chemical and quantitative status - protection of water related ecosystems - sustainable water uses - improving water quality by decreasing of emissions - protection of ground waters - mitigation of effects of floods and draughts

Main tools - River Basin Management Plans & Programmes of Measures

Significant Water Management Issues

Organic

Pollution

Nutrient

Pollution

Hazardous

Substances Pollution Hydromorphological

Alterations

Reflects/Includes

• Water status of the DRB waters

• Significant Water Management Issues

• Joint Programme of Measures

Enables

• Conclusions on investment & funding

• Evaluation of measure

implementation

Danube River Basin Management Plan

TNMN: Monitoring Waters

collect data Identify issues &

responses

implement

measures

• Oct 2010: Red sludge spill results in loss of

human life & environmental damage

• AEWS alert for down-stream countries

• Underlined importance of coordinated,

international warning systems

www.redsludge.bm.hu

Risk spot inventory Accident Emergency Warning System (AEWS)

Sustainable Flood Protection

17 flood action plans for sub-basins prepared in 2009

Flood Action Programs list hundreds of measures

Implementation of EU Floods Directive

EU FLOODRISK project

Groundwater Management

Future of integrated environmental policy

Ministerial Meeting, 16 Feb 2010

EU Danube Strategy June 2011

The EU Strategy for the Danube Region

a macroregional sustainable develoment strategy

11 priority areas

• High degree of political attention

• New impetus for projects

• Efficient prioritisation

Intersectoral approach

Close cooperation between ICPDR and the Strategy required

Balancing of interests

environmental

needs

economic

needs

socio-cultural

needs

Areas of inter-sectoral work

Hydropower Agriculture

Navigation Climate Adaptation

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Cooperation with businesss: „Business Friends of the Danube”

Further information: www.icpdr.org

[email protected]

Thank you for your kind attention!