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Slovenian Minister for Environment,
Physical Planning and Energy Janez Kopac reviews achievements at the anniversary
of the Drava Commission. |
The two-day meeting, held in May, was organised in Ptuj, the
oldest town in Slovenia. The purpose of the meeting was chiefly to review the
commission’s work conducted in the past period, but stress was laid on
the significance of the commission’s tasks in conducting the EU Water
Framework Directive (WFD).
One of the commission’s most important achievements in the last decade
was the preparation of the detailed map of the Karavanke water resources. This
project was a comprehensive analysis of the Karavanke water resources, and a
valuable tool for development for both Slovenia and Austria. It is the first
detailed study of water resource issues in a European mountain range. This project
is one of the first professional foundations toward implementing the WFD.
The commission presented its work at a press conference on May 18, organised
in the Ivan Potrc Library in Ptuj. Present were, among others: Janez Kopac,
Slovenian Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy; Wolfgang Stalzer,
Head of the Austrian Delgation to the ICPDR; Philip Weller, Secretary of the
ICPDR; Herbert Wienerroither, President of the Austrian side of the Commission;
and Mitja Bricelj, President of the Slovenian side of the Commission.
The last 50 years of the Drava Convention is a milestone not just for Austria
and Slovenia, but for all countries who may look to the convention as a model
for cooperation in the Danube River Basin.