Baltic Danube Strategy Workshop, Budapest, Hungary, 5 April 2011

1. Parallels
Water resources management aspects of the EU Strategies
for the Baltic Sea Region and Danube Region
Workshop
Istvan IJJAS
Professor Emeritus
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Budapest, 5 April 2011

2. Contents
1) Introduction
2) Parallels
3) What to learn from the Baltic Sea Strategy
4) Significant water management issues in the Danube Basin
5) The main solutions and improvements to governance systems
6) Assessment of the added value for the European Union

3. 1. Introduction

6. 2. Parallels
HELCOM ICPDR
Danube Commission
Sava Commission
Tisa declarations

7. 3. What to learn from
the Baltic Sea Strategy ?

16. Flagship
projects

19. 11 partners
8 countries
2.0 million Euro

21. 22 partners
8 countries
4.9 million Euro

23. 24 partners
8 countries
5.3 million Euro

25. 23 partners
7 countries
4.2 million Euro

27. 22 partners
9 countries
3.0 million Euro

29. 18 partners
6 countries
2.7 million Euro

31. 11 partners
6 countries
3.2 million Euros

33. 23 partners
10 countries
6.7 million Euro

35. 4. Significant water management issues
in the Danube Basin
Major sources of information
Previous programmes for the Danube River Basin
•The Danube...for whom and for what, Equipe Cousteau (1992)
•Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin, EC PHARE-Programme
Danube Integrated Environmental Study (1993-1994)
Strategic Action Plan - SAP (1994)
SAP Implementation Plan (1995)
•Danube Nutrient Reduction Programme (1997 –1999)
•ICPDR Joint Action Plan 2000- 2005
•DABLAS programme (specific reports in 2002 and 2004)
•EU WFD Danube River Basin Analysis (2005)
•UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project (2001 – 2006)
•UNDP-GEF-ICPDR Danube River Basin Updated Transboundary
Diagnostic Analysis Based on EU Water Framework Directive (2006)
•Danube River Basin Management Plan (2009)

36. Significant Water Management Issues in the DRB
Basin-wide issues

37. The main basin-wide environmental problems
Four significant transboundary issues
priorities for the Danube Basin and for
the impact of the Danube River on the Black Sea
Nutrient Pollution – from point sources and diffuse sources
Organic Pollution – from point sources and diffuse sources
Hazardous substances - industrial and accidental pollution
Hydromorphological alterations - engineering works for
navigation, hydropower generation, flood prevention

38. The key conclusions of the DRBM Plan
on the implementation of basin-wide environmental objectives and visions:
The assessment of the ecological status will be further developed.
The implementation of the environmental requirements in Non EU MS
would be sufficient to solve the basin-wide environmental problems
Measures identified will not ensure the achievement of the
environmental objectives on the basin-wide scale,
significant further efforts will still be necessary regarding
organic pollution
N and P
hazardous substances
pressures from all hydomorphological components
824 river and habitat continuity interruptions will remain
negative impacts of future infrastructure projects
other relevant issues:
quality and quantity of sediments,
invasive species,
water quantity issues and
climate change

39. Significant water management issues
(economic objectives)
Flood risk management
Drought and water scarcity management
Adoption to climatic change
Navigation, hydropower production

40. Types of EDRS programs/projects:
Environmental programs – implementation of RBMPs –
programs for improvement of the status of waters
Future infrastructure projects/programs – for
navigation, hydropower, irrigation –
The rules of WFD, the Habitat Directive, the Natura 2000
should be considered

41. 5. Effectiveness of the existing inter-governmental cooperation bodies
Long history of co-operation on the Danube River:
Danube Navigation Convention (Belgrade, 1948)
Bucharest Declaration (1984),
UNECE Transboundary Water Convention (Helsinki Convention, 1992),
Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC,1994)
EU Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000).
Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)
Bilateral/multilateral agreements between individual countries

42. Recommendations for strategic actions
regarding the environment in the Danube Basin:
Securing Danube waters for the future generations – Implementation of the WFD
Implementation of the Integrated Sava and Tisza River Basin Management Plan
Responses to climate change and potential environmental effects
Implementation of a basin-wide sediment management system
Improvement of basin-wide and national environmental governance systems

43. Securing Danube waters for the future generations
DANUBE DECLARATION
adopted at the Ministerial Meeting, February 16, 2010
to increase coordination and cooperation among the countries
in the Sava and Tisa sub-basins of the Danube and for the evolving
initiatives in the sub-basins of the Prut and the Danube Delta
Memorandum of Understanding with the Black Sea Commission
- Implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
Implementation of the RBDMP Joint Programme of Measures

44. 6) Assessment of the added value for the European Union
The coordinated improvement of the status of waters
will conserve the water resources for the future water uses,
will significantly contribute to sustainable
regional development,
will ensure the preservation and the restoration
of the valuable ecosystems,
will reduce the impacts on the Black Sea.

45. Thank You!
ijjas@vit.bme.hu