Wolfgang Stalzer, ICPDR President for 2012, here with Antonina Karnaukhova of Ukraine

Diplomatic representatives from all Danube Basin countries joined outgoing president Mykola Melenevskyi as he presented a bottle of Danube Water to Wolfgang Stalzer in Vienna on 25 January 2012. With this symbolic gesture, the ICPDR Presidency for 2012 has passed to Austria.

Danube Watch: You where the first President of the ICPDR in 1998. What has improved the most since then - in the Danube River Basin and the efforts of protecting it?
Stalzer: When I started my work – effectively in 1999 – we focused on two areas. On one hand we had to develop the ICPDR with its Expert Groups and Secretariat into a functional, operational mode. Support from the EU or UNDP/GEF helped a great deal for this. On the other hand, we had to stay closely aligned with the convention and the legal framework. We united these two aspects and soon we could see the benefits of this. Monitoring improved tremendously; think of the Transnational Monitoring Network or the unique Joint Danube Survey, the Accident Emergency Warning System or the milestone of the Danube River Basin Analysis; the degree to which data could be standardised for efforts such as harmonised Geographic Information System for the Danube; and above all, of course, the Danube River Basin Management Plan.

The associated achievements, especially the tremendous investments in the field of wastewater treatment, decreases in the pollution loads, of organic pollution, for example, and nutrients like phosphates or nitrogen; the revitalisation of floodplains and wetlands; even a widespread awareness of environmental issues. All of these improvements are enormous and were possible due to the commitment of the Danube countries.

Danube Watch: How much of this change do you attribute to the work of the ICPDR?
Stalzer: The achievements that I have outlined are based on results affecting people at a very personal level. For this, we need experts in the countries! The cooperation that is coordinated by the Secretariat is essential for this. It was the recognition that water quality had to improve that allowed us to start the ICPDR, not the other way round.

But there were also other important factors for achieving improvements in the Danube River Basin. The help of UNDP/GEF was essential, as well as the framework conditions. The collapse of the Soviet Union opened a window of opportunity for re-starting
many things in a harmonised manner. Without this, the voluntary commitment to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) would not have been possible. Last but not least, the ICPDR addressed the importance of communication and public participation and installed a dedicated expert group at an early stage. For this work of public participation and also for the involvement of NGOs, the ICPDR is well recognised. Together with the efforts mentioned above, the ICPDR is a story of success.

Danube Watch: Which challenges do you see today that were less pressing during your first term 13 years ago?
Stalzer: The implementation of the EU Floods Directive (EFD) is a lot more urgent today, basically since major floods occurred in 2002 and 2005. Economic conditions make our work difficult; they shift priorities, often away from the environment. The conflicting interests of nature on one hand and navigation or hydropower on the other. The sustainable use of resources, in agriculture for example – especially in the Lower Danube Countries where agriculture has a great potential to develop in the years to come. Issues concerning connectivity, think of our own sturgeon activities. And of course finding cross-links to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

With challenges like these ahead of us, it is crucial to focus our resources on the core business: the implementation of the Danube River Protection Convention, WFD and EFD; but also activities of integrative water and nature protection in the ongoing development in sectors like agriculture, hydropower, navigation or flood protection.

Danube Watch: How will your presidency be different?
Stalzer: Of course every presidency has its own flavour. My focus will be first of all on the core activities and the work done by the expert groups, but I will also emphasise activities and initiatives like cooperation with the hydropower sector and the improvement of the ecological status of the Danubian water bodies through projects such as the studies on the free passes of the sturgeons. Last but not least, we intend to share actively the experiences of the ICPDR in ‘Excellent Integrated River Basin Management’ with other International River Commissions together with the International River Foundation and GEF IW Learn.

Danube Watch: Can we count on you for the next Austrian presidency 2026?
Stalzer: (Laughs). I see that you haven’t saved the most serious question for last! What I hope for 2026 is that the dynamic nature of the ICPDR will be preserved and carried on by the society of the entire Danube River Basin. The people involved with this task have to be matched with the needs of the time, not the other way round. Therefore, a change in the protagonists is desirable until Austria takes on the presidency again.