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The Danube River flows into the Black Sea at the Danube Delta, making the Black Sea the receiving sea for the Danube's water. A receiving sea refers to the body of water into which a river or other watercourse empties its flow. In this context, the Black Sea serves as the final destination for the waters of the Danube River.

Rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters, as well as groundwater, are vital natural resources. A significant proportion of water resources are exposed to environmental pollution or other potentially damaging pressures. Protecting and improving the waters of the Danube River Basin is therefore essential for the natural environment, the sustainable development of the region and the long-term health, well-being, and prosperity of the population.

We Pass was an initiative aiming to facilitate fish migration in the Danube River Basin, set up by the ICPDR, Jaroslav Černi Institute, DDNI, CDM SMITH, OAK Consultants, and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. The focus was on the preservation and reestablishment of endangered fish species migration routes in the Danube River, its tributaries, and specifically at the Iron Gates.

Sturgeons and other migratory fish species represent a historic, economic and natural heritage of the Danube River Basin and are indicators of the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems, especially of the functionality of ecological corridors. Their populations have suffered substantially from overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and disruption of their migration routes. The need for their conservation is recognized at a high political and management level (EUSDR-PA 06, Biodiversity, DRBMP).

The floodplains and wetlands of the Danube basin are uniquely valuable ecosystems in global terms, although few areas are still in their natural or near-natural state.

Since the 16th century, people have been changing the natural course of the rivers in the Danube River Basin, mainly for flood defence, hydropower generation and navigation. All these changes affect the ecological quality of the rivers. Changes in the depth or width of a river typically reduce flow rates, interrupting natural sediment transportation as well as the migration routes of animals.

The Black Sea Commission is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for the implementation of the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution, and sets the legal framework required for regional cooperation and the activities necessary to reduce pollution and enhance the protection of the marine environment.