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Danube œ Deep Navigation Channel (—Bystroye Canal“)

Location: Ukrainian part of the Delta (see Route 2 on the map to the right)

Budget: Initially announced at 144.9 million UAH (24 million EUR), including Phase 1 costs of 35.6 million UAH (6 million EUR). As construction started, it was announced that Phase 1 would cost 78.6 mill UAH (13.1 1. Prova canal mill EUR). 2. Bystroye branch (planned route) Final Beneficiary: Ukrainian 3. Sulina branch/ Ministry of Transport and Delta canal Lotsman (UA) 4. Danube-Black Sea canal WWF Recommendations • WWF recognizes the need for holistic, transboundary Overview as a priority under the TEN-T management of the entire programme. This decision has not The government of Ukraine has chosen . been finalised yet. • to construct a canal to the Black Sea WWF supports the idea of a via the Bystroye arm that will cut socially and economically- through the heart of the Ukrainian Impact & Conflict justifiable waterway to the Danube Delta Biosphere reserve. The construction of the Bystroye canal Black Sea as long as no endangers biodiversity conservation of negative transboundary Up to eight alternatives have been the Danube Delta. environmental impacts and suggested for the route of the canal, no impacts on the biosphere including two investigated by a special The action by the Ukrainian reserve will occur. This must Ramsar and UNESCO mission to the Government demonstrates a serious be proven. Delta in 2003. The Ukrainian • lack of commitment to International Feasible alternatives to the government proposes to use the canal Conventions that the Ukraine is Bystroye canal, which are less to reignite the shipping industry in the signatory to, breaks international laws, damaging to the environment, Delta as a solution to the and has shown that the Ukrainian must be considered. unemployment problems in the closed government is prepared to go back on • Any environmental assessment Delta ports. Presently, ships have promises made to protect the Danube processes carried out must access through the Delta along the Delta (e.g. Bern, Aarhus, Espoo, Bonn, comply with international Sulina Canal in . The RAMSAR, Bucharest Conventions). standards, and be developed government of Ukraine claims that the through a transparent and use of this route costs them billions of This has caused a number of participative public process . dollars per year in fees. international bodies to start a dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities in order In September 2005, the Ukraine to find the best possible solution for formally submitted a request to the EC the sustainable development of the to consider the Bystroye Canal project Delta.

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Timeline 7 June 2005: The Ukrainian Minister of Environment Pavel Ignatenko 1990: UNESCO designates the announces the temporary halt of Romanian part of the Danube Delta as the canal‘s construction until a Biosphere Reserve . The Ukrainian environmental impacts are clarified. part receives the same status in 1998. 12 February 2006: The public 23 November 1995: Ukraine puts the consultation period to comment on the Danube Delta on the Ramsar List as EIA for the second phase ends. So far, a wetland of international importance all indicators show that construction work will start again , probably 12 May 2004: The Ukrainian within the next days. government officially launches the construction of the Bystroye Canal, which runs through the heart of the Current status Ukrainian Biosphere Reserve, although Following Phase 1, bigger, sea-going other alternative routes for the canal ships starting using the canal. were proposed. However, the canal has silted up past its previous depth, and is therefore 24 August 2004: the Ukrainian unusable. Dredging works now President launches Phase 1 of canal continue to complete Phase 1; the construction ; in Phase 2 the canal Ukrainian government has a budget for should be deepened so that seagoing this. vessels can also pass through. The design for Phase 2 has been August 2004: The European presented, and is presently under the Commission (EC) requests that scrutiny of Ukrainian Ministry of Ukraine halt the project. Environment. Phase 2 is planned to begin in Spring 2006. The start of August 2004: The International Phase 2 is awaiting decision by the Commission for the Protection of Ukrainian Ministry of Environment with the Danube River (ICPDR) stresses regards to ecological expertise (EIA). their concern on the environmental impacts of the canal‘s construction, A trilateral conference will be held at and calls upon the Ukraine to stop the end of February 2006 in Odessa to further construction. launch a holistic transboundary vision for the Danube Delta. In addition to 17 November 2004: The EC the governments of the Ukraine, Directorate General of Romania and Moldova, this conference Environment sends an expert group is supported by the UNEP, Ramsar to the Ukrainian part of the Danube Convention, ICPDR, UNESCO and Delta to investigate the project. WWF.

December 2004: The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Berne Contact Convention adopts a resolution Michael Baltzer, Director against construction of the canal and WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, calls upon the Ukraine to comply with [email protected] the requirements of the Convention. Christine Bratrich, Head of Freshwater 27 May 2005: Member parties of the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, Aarhus Convention agree on political [email protected] sanctions against the Ukraine, stating that construction of the canal violates Sergey Moroz, WWF European Policy the most important points of the Office, [email protected] Convention.

June 2005: A common Working Group is established after negotiations between the Romanian and Ukrainian governments. This aim of this group is to assess the transboundary effects of the canal.