ICPDR & EU Strategy for the Danube Region
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) strengthens cooperative frameworks and supports existing institutions that help Member States to implement EU legislation. Close cooperation with the ICPDR with its experience and mandate in water management is therefore very important. ICPDR and EUSDR coordinate their activities to utilise synergies.
The Action Plan of the EUSDR identifies concrete measures and examples of projects in 11 thematic Priority Areas (PAs), with the objective of addressing the common challenges of the region. This should be achieved by increasing the effectiveness of policies at EU, national and local level through improved cooperation.
Concerning PA 4 (Water Quality) and PA 5 (Environmental Risks), the identification of main issues is to a large extent based on previous work of the ICPDR, primarily from the Danube River Basin Management Plan and the Danube Ministerial Declaration from 2010.
The ICPDR received from its contracting parties a clear political mandate and the technical capacities for implementing WFD and EFD in the DRB; the momentum created by EUSDR would significantly boost progress in relevant processes by creating added value for both ICPDR and EUSDR also by making better use of measures available for macro-regional cooperation.
Avoiding overlaps and the creation of parallel structures is a key principle that is followed in the cooperation between ICPDR and EUSDR. To achieve this and to ensure an efficient information flow between PA4 and PA5 on one side and the ICPDR on the other, a joint document was developed.
This document characterizes particular mandates, responsibilities, tasks and modus operandi for complimentary and joint activities of ICPDR and PA4/PA5. The document and its annex can be downloaded below.
