Danube Basin
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ICPDR
Dear Readers
As promised in the last issue of Danube Watch, Montenegro
has now become a full member of the ICPDR,
having ratified the Danube River Protection Convention.
We wholeheartedly welcome the colleagues from
Montenegro and look forward to working closely with
them to integrate them fully into the work of the
ICPDR.
In addition to strengthening the cooperation within the basin, the ICPDR has been expanding its international cooperation with other river basins and organisations dedicated to improving water management. In 2007 an ICPDR delegation visited the Mississippi, and this year brought visits by representatives of Southern Africa’s Orange River and Okavango Commissions, delegations from the Yellow River and Yangtze River, and most recently the Niger River Basin Authority. The ICPDR was also at the forefront of activities at this year’s IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition held in Vienna, as this issue of Danube Watch shows.
There is immense value in sharing our experiences and, together, we are jointly identifying some of the most important basic requirements which can ensure effective river basin management. Plans are underway to use the funding provided by the Theiss Riverprize to streamline and manage this international cooperation in a manner that is supportive of our own work and is helpful to other water managers.
Finally, these are exciting times for the next steps in implementing the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive in the Danube Basin. By the end of 2008, national data will be available for analysis for the Danube River Basin Management Plan. The Plan and its associated Joint Programme of Measures will be discussed and endorsed at the ICPDR’s 12th Ordinary Meeting in December 2009 and completed by mid-May of next year. Within this time period, national and basin-wide consultation processes will ensure that input from all relevant stakeholders in the basin is incorporated to make the plan as rich and effective as possible.
On a sad note, it is reported in this issue of Danube Watch that the Chairman of the ICPDR Expert Group on Flood Protection, Sandor Toth, passed away on November 19. On behalf of the large community of people who have benefitted from the dedicated and enthusiastic work of Sandor to strengthen the position of flood protection in the Danube River Basin, I would like to use this opportunity to offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
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