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
Thank you for your kind attention!