The document summarizes a team's proposal to manage water flow in the Balkan region along the Sava River. The team would create a multi-country joint venture company to coordinate water barriers and diversion of water during droughts and floods across national borders. This regional collaboration could help prevent increasingly severe floods due to climate change, while providing water for agriculture and households. The team conducted research and interviews finding support from water management and business leaders for optimizing cross-border water cooperation.

1. Want water?
Team name: ForTheFuture
Selected EE region: Western Balkan
Team leader: Natalija Hočevar
Team members: Rok Britovšek, Črtomir Debeljak
Country: Slovenia
School: Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Economics
Mentor: Marta Turk, President of Ljubljana Regional
Chamber of Commerce
Challenge Future, The Future of Work, 2013

2. Look in the general trends and scenario development in the Ex
Yugoslav region.
-
Prosperous and secure - Equality Prosperous but fragile
- More intensive resource
- Good knowledge base use controlled by green
- High quality life technology
- Effective environmental - Declining groundwarter
policies and resources may necessitate
management, including inporting water
integrated water - Decreased hydropower
management and cross- potential may necessitate
border agreements energy imports
- Energy mailnly from
renewable sources
Business as usual - Poverty and - A deteriorating Dramatic impacts
hopelessness environment and a
- General scarcity negative development
- Drinking water deficits spiral
- Water use mainly in - High water scarcity
agruculture - Unmanaged extreme
- Some ecosystem events lead to further
recovery attributable to environmental
economic stagnation deteriaration

3. How to increase competiveness, Climate Change Framework,
Based on research of our field (WMO, EEA, WWAP, UNESCO):
Water resourses
•Build or modernize irrigation systems in drought-prone areas
•Build or rehabilitate flood protection and drainage systems
•Expand and modernize the network of meteorological and
hydrological stations
•Improve national flood and drought insurance schemes
Agriculture and Forestry
•Conduct research on the impacts of climate change
•Conduct research on the effects of extreme events
on agriculture and forestry
•Develop databases on droughts and fire in forests

4. Highlights of Interviews and Meetings
•Božidar Resnik, Kostac d.o.o, manager, (Biggest utilities management company in
Slovenia) - “Balkan region definitely needs something that will regulate the river flow
and work with droughts and floods, which are going to be much more extreme. There
were attempts to manage river flows, but none of them was succefully implemented. I
see your idea with a great potential. “
•Marta Turk, President of Ljubljana Regional Chamber of Commerce,
“We will have to collaborate as a region in order to successfully face the challenges.
The moves will have to be made in the near future and the response is already positive
from the affected region countries. “
•Doc.dr. Aleš Burger, Department for International relations, Faculty of Social sciences -
“Optimization and collaboration of all aspects is going to be needed. Especialy in the
challenges that are requiring a common approach.”
•Ranko Topić, Vice president of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Banja Luka
region. -“Climate is going to change, we have to adjust as a region. Balkan region has a
lot of untapped potential in water resources. We use only 30 %, but the need is going
to be for at least 60%. “

5. Company overview:
Multi country joint venture company that will manage the water flow in Balkan
region on river Sava from its spring till spill to Danaube river.
• To manage water flow of Sava river during the drought and flood time with
coordination of water barriers via combined center for precipitation control (help
preventing floods which are serious threat already and will become even greater
one in the near future on mentioned Balkan region becasue of climate and other
changes), diversion of water flow during the floods into the water collection tanks
that will divide that water for agriculture purpuses and household water in some
cases there is a possibility of turism development.

6. • Focus in developing strong advantage in water management,
• Cost reduction,
• Bringing more jobs on the river banks (agriculture, turism, other
industries)
• Managing the importance and power of water, damage reduction
(floods, agriculture),
• Gained knowledge can be replicated on other river banks around the
region and globaly.
• The Know -how and experiences can be sold for good profit.

7. A short overwier into indepth reseach with a potential for common good.
Thank you for your time; Natalija, Rok and Črtomir