,3

Brussels, 29 November 2001

'DQXEH5LYHUDJDLQRSHQIRUQDYLJDWLRQDW1RYL6DG

7ZR \HDUV DIWHU WKH 1$72 ERPELQJ RI WKUHH EULGJHV DW 1RYL 6DG LQ WKH )HGHUDO 5HSXEOLF RI

Agreement has been reached, with the support of the European Commission, between the Danube Commission and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) on the schedule of opening of the pontoon bridge at Novi Sad, the last remaining obstacle to navigation, and on the charges to be levied on shipping. The President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, said: 7KLVLVYHU\JRRGQHZVIRU(XURSHDQVDQGWKHLUHQYLURQPHQW7KH'DQXEHLVDJUHDW (XURSHDQ ULYHU IORZLQJ WKURXJK SUHVHQW DQG IXWXUH 0HPEHU 6WDWHV 7KH (XURSHDQ 8QLRQ H[LVWV WR KHDO WKH ZRXQGV RI WKH SDVW DQG EXLOG D EHWWHU IXWXUH IRU DOO (XURSHDQV7KLVVKRZVZKDWZHFDQDFKLHYHZKHQZHZRUNWRJHWKHU Chris Patten, the EU Commissioner for External Relations, said: ³7KLV HYHQW PDUNV D JUHDW VWHS IRUZDUG ±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

 IP/00/515 of 24.05.2000 Commission adopts proposal to fund Danube clearance The tenders for the remaining stages of the clearance operation - removal of any unexploded ordnance and the remaining debris of the bridges, so as to clear the entire width of the river - are being published by the Danube Commission. That work, and any necessary work on the riverbed itself, will not interfere with navigation, and will be completed once weather conditions permit, in 2002. Now that the river is once again open to navigation, the European Commission intends to propose EC funding for the reconstruction of the Sloboda Bridge in Novi Sad.

2 %DFNJURXQG

'DQXEH&RPPLVVLRQ The Danube Commission is an international organisation, based in Budapest, with responsibility for navigation on the Danube (under i.a. the 1948 Belgrade Convention). It has 11 members (the riverine states of the Danube - Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Moldova, Romania, Slovak Republic, Ukraine - plus Russia) and operates by unanimity. In their capacity as the organisation with responsibility for navigation, they developed a project for the clearance of the river Danube (removal of debris and ordnance, restoration of a navigable channel and restoration of the riverbed and banks along the 5km stretch of the Danube, at Novi Sad), in late 1999. Following its adoption on 25 January 2000 it was presented to the European Commission and other potential donors.

(XURSHDQ&RPPLVVLRQ VLQYROYHPHQW In contacts from autumn 1999 onwards, the European Commission provided advice on the development of the project. When it was formally presented with the project in late January 2000, it provided a detailed analysis and, following some further necessary decisions (Rules of the International Fund into which contributions would be made, and the Rules of the Project Management), by the Danube Commission on 17 May 2000, the European Commission immediately (24 May), the European Commission adopted a proposal, on 24 May 2000, that EC funding should be given (to the maximum of 85% / ¼PRIWKHWRWDOHVWLPDWHGFRVWRI¼P 7KH&RXQFLO of Ministers, after consulting the European Parliament, took their decision on 17 July 2000, following which the Commission ensured that EC funds were immediately available for transfer to the International Fund for the Clearance of the Fairway of the Danube. This International Fund was established by the Danube Commission, under Austrian law, in late summer 2000. The European Commission had also, in contacts with the former FRY authorities, overcome difficulties relating to the impact of the sanctions against that regime and, immediately after the democratic changes in Belgrade in October 2000, urged the new authorities to alter the previous regime's obstructive attitude within the Danube Commission. Since then, the European Commission has worked closely with the Danube Commission to overcome various obstacles which have arisen. Thanks to the support of Yugoslav Federal Deputy Prime Minister Labus, and the cooperation of Novi Sad authorities, these have been overcome.

2WKHUVSRQVRUV Other than the Danube Commission and its Project Director, the European Commission as the main financial and political backer, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as the state where the project is to be implemented, a number of other states are involved as financial contributors. Apart from the EC' s ¼PFRQWULEXWLRQ to the Danube Commission's International Fund for the Clearance of the Fairway of the Danube, contributions have also been made by Bulgaria (¼P  &DQDGD (¼  &URDWLD ¼P  *HUPDQ\ ¼P  +XQJDU\ ¼P  WKH 1HWKHUODQGV (¼P $XVWULD ¼P 5RPDQLD ¼P 5XVVLD ¼ 6ORYDN5HSXEOLF (¼P 6ZLW]HUODQG ¼ 8NUDLQH ¼P 

3 6WDELOLW\3DFW The EC-backed project of the Danube Commission is one of those included in the Stability Pact's list of Quick Start Package projects.

4