Danube River Basin Management Plan (DRBMP) Update 2021
The DRBMP Update 2021 was jointly coordinated with the Danube Flood Risk Management Plan (DFRMP) Update 2021. The two plans are coordinated and synergised in keeping with the environmental objectives as stipulated by the WFD.
The EU Water Framework Directive stipulates in Article 13(3) that in the case of an international river basin district extending beyond the boundaries of the Community EU Member States shall endeavour to produce a single river basin management plan. In the year 2000, ICPDR countries, including non-EU Member States (MS), agreed to implement the EU Water Framework Directive throughout the entire basin. The contracting parties made the ICPDR the facilitating platform for the implementation of all transboundary aspects of the EU Water Framework Directive. In 2007, the ICPDR also took responsibility for coordinating the implementation of the EU Floods Directive within the Danube River Basin.
Since the publication of the first Danube River Basin Management Plan (DRBMP) in 2009, the ICPDR updates the DRBMP every six years as requested by the EU Water Framework Directive. The Danube River Basin Management Plan (DRBMP) Update 2021 identifies the priorities for joint water resources management throughout the Danube River Basin for the years 2022 to 2027. The DRBMP Update 2021 includes updated assessments of the main pressures impacting the Danube basin’s waters, updated information on water status and progress achieved, as well as the joint further actions agreed by the Danube countries to be undertaken until 2027. The key issues requiring joint actions on the basin-wide level (Level A) are addressed, underpinned by more detailed River Basin Management Plans at the national level (Level B). The DRBMP Update 2021 focuses on five Significant Water Management Issues (SWMI), which are the main pressures and effects that affect water status. These are:
Pollution by organic substances
Pollution by nutrients
Pollution by hazardous substances
Hydromorphological alterations
Effects of climate change (drought, water scarcity, extreme hydrological phenomena and other impacts)
These issues all relate to the impacts on the ecological and chemical status of surface waters. For transboundary groundwater bodies, both, qualitative and quantitative issues are addressed.
In addition to these SWMIs, the ICPDR is working on other relevant key issues like sediment quality management, invasive alien species and activities related to Danube sturgeon conservation in order to improve the data basis for these issues with the aim to determine their relevance on the basin-wide level and to propose and support the implementation of appropriate measures.
The DRBMP Update 2021 was jointly coordinated with the Danube Flood Risk Management Plan (DFRMP) Update 2021. The two plans are coordinated and synergised in keeping with the environmental objectives as stipulated by the WFD.
On this page you can download the Danube River Basin Management Plan (DRBMP) Update 2021 and all its annexes and maps. The main document, maps and a public brochure are available in both high- and low-resolution versions.
