Ministerial Meeting 2007
Bucharest, 23 February 2007. Ministers of the Danube and Black Sea countries took an ambitious step towards the protection of the Danube River Basin and Black Sea region ecosystems. The European Commission and the federal ministers of 16 countries adopted a declaration in which they jointly confirm their strong commitment to foster their cooperation and to implement the program of the ICPDR and the Black Sea Commission.
On Feb. 23, 2007 Ministers of the Danube and Black Sea countries took an ambitious step towards the protection of the Danube River Basin and Black Sea region ecosystems.
The European Commission and the federal ministers in charge of water management of 16 Danube Basin and Black Sea countries adopted a declaration in which they jointly confirm their strong commitment to foster their cooperation and to implement the program of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and the Black Sea Commission. In adopting this declaration the Danube Countries took significant steps towards the compliance the EU Water Framework Directive, which asks for a "good ecological status" of all waters by 2015.
The declaration recognizes the important values of the Danube/Black Sea region, the historical damage that it has undergone and recent signs of environmental recovery as a result of cooperative actions.
Around this high level ministerial meeting, the ICPDR presented their outstanding sustained success reached within the last 15 years and the excellent outputs that could be achieved also through the strong financial commitment of the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank.
The Ministerial Meeting followed a two-day Final Seminar where the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project's main achievements and suggestions for the future were presented. Participants were determined to repeat and transfer the successes achieved in the Danube River Basin to the Black Sea which became an 'EU sea' on January 1 of that year.
The existing cooperation carried out in the framework of the Convention for the Protection of the Danube River is an example worldwide.
Holding the presidency of the ICPDR for the year 2007 the Romanian Minister of environment and Water management Ms. Sulfina Barbu, was proud of hosting the event in Bucharest, Romania.
