Water Talk 2/2004
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The GWP CEE celebrated June 29th – Danube Day DANUBE DAY HAS BEEN INITIATED BY cooperated in organizing a photo exhibition THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR for the “Lower Danube Corridor” in the city THE PROTECTION OF THE DANUBE RIVER of Rousse. A special issue of Water Newslet- (ICPDR), a Vienna-based organization com- ter devoted to Danube Day was printed and posed of representatives of the countries of distributed. GWP Bulgaria also co-organized the Danube River Basin and represented by a Bulgarian – Romanian meeting about trans- GWP CEE / R. MULLER CREDIT: their ministries. ICPDR is responsible for Wa- -boundary water problems as well as an eve- ter Management in the Danube Basin. ning event in Russe. GWP Romania prepared a workshop on op- portunities for stakeholder cooperation du- ring the implementation of the EU Water Fra- Children’s ensemble Usmev is singing at opening of the mework Directive. Throughout Danube Day, Danube Day at Slovak Ministry of the Environment. participants were “literally” close to the Danu- Slovakia to send their symbolic greetings on be because all presentations and discussions bodies of water flowing through their towns took place on a boat in the Iron Gate reservoir. and villages. In cooperation with Center of Ecological Con- GWP Slovenia participated in the selection of sultancy from the city of Galati (a member of “The Danube Art Master” competition winners GWP Hungary started an initiative to unite the Danube Environmental Forum), GWP Ro- together with representatives of the Ministry of the boats on the Danube on Danube Day. Bo- mania arranged and distributed T-shirts to yo- Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy, the ats greeted the Danube at 11 a.m. by sounding ung people who celebrated Danube Day. Institute of Education and DEF in Ljubljana. their horns in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and GWP Slovakia organized a clean up of the The Danube river basin is the most internati- Slovakia. In addition, the GWP CEE organized Danube riverbank where art school students onal river basin in the world, connecting 13 a series of events for the celebration of the celebrated Danube Day by drawing and play- European countries (Austria, Bosnia-Herze- first Danube Day, to commemorate the 10th ing musical instruments. The singing en- govina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, anniversary of the signing of the Danube Ri- semble Usmev contributed to the official Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Ser- ver Protection Convention in Sofia, Bulgaria. program held in the Ministry of the Environ- bia-Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia and the GWP Bulgaria participated in selecting “The ment atrium in the heart of Bratislava. GWP Ukraine) and covers 10 per cent of the Euro- Danube Art Master” competition winner and Slovakia encouraged schools from all around pean continent. the Serbian town of Zaichar and the Roma- a special session dedicated to Danube Day and Danube Day nian town of Kalafat and Members of Parlia- river conservation. The First Danube Day was ment. During her address on board the Vidin also celebrated in other Bulgarian towns situ- in Bulgaria ship, Minister Arssenova said that Bulgaria to- ated along the Danube River. The main events gether with all of the Danube countries wo- on June 29th were as follows: THE DANUBE RIVER IS VERY IMPORTANT uld work for the conservation of this great round table on Danube River problems in FOR BULGARIA. It forms the northern bo- European river. Martin Donchev and Dr. Ivan Rousse; undary of the country and a connection with Tsenov, the governor and mayor of Vidin, res- 13 colored balloons, corresponding to the other countries of the continent. The total len- pectively, greeted the participants. Minister number of countries which have signed the gth of the Bulgarian section of the river is 470 Arssenova had a meeting with children from Danube convention, were released over the km. Ogosta, Iskar, Vit, Osam, Iantra, Rusenski Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia and Montene- Danube at 12 a.m.; Lom are some of its larger tributaries. A very gro, who acquainted her with the message of an exhibition of the natural resources of small part of the Timok catchment is located the children from the three countries regar- the Lower Danube River was opened in on Bulgarian territory. On June 29, 2004, Mi- ding the conservation of the Danube River Ba- Rousse; nister Dolores Arssenova opened the first in- sin. The message was handed to Minister Ars- youth competitions on different ecological ternational campaign celebrating Danube Day senova in the hall of the Vidin Art Gallery. It is issues were organized in the village of Kri- in Vidin. It was held under the motto “A Brid- to be sent to the International Commission for vina on the Yantra River Basin – a tributary ge towards the Future”. The event was atten- the Protection of the Danube River. The parti- of the Danube; ded by the ambassadors of the Danube coun- cipants in the celebration acquainted them- horn salute of the “Rousse-Regensburg” by tries of Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic selves with the work of the Bulgarian Children 26 boats and ships at 7 p.m.; and Serbia and Montenegro, the mayors of Eco Parliament. The child-ecologists organized a large “Beautiful Blue Danube” concert. Water Talk: Implementation of EU legislation Interview with the Minister of Environment for the new members which entered the EU in May 2004 means an opportunity for the of the Slovak Republic Prof. László Miklós improvement of the environmental infras- tructure with co-financing from EU funds. To Water Talk: GWP defines Integrated Water cesses of sectors dealing with landscape ex- which measures in the area of water protec- Resources Management (IWRM) as a pro- ploitation. Another problem is that agricultural tion and use is support from the Structural cess which promotes the co-ordinated de- land is in the hands of private and other ow- Funds and Cohesion Fund from 2004 to 2006 velopment and management of water, land ners and the same is true for forest land. Ow- earmarked? Furthermore, who might benefit and related resources, in order to maximise ners have their own and very different interests from that support? How much financial re- the resultant economic and social welfare as well as governmental departments. Non-go- sources are needed for the improvement and in an equitable manner without compromi- vernmental organisations are promoting the development of the environmental water in- sing the sustainability of vital ecosystems. inclusive approach, e.g. everybody should be frastructure in the near future? Mr. Minister, you are well known on the na- included in the process of integrated manage- tional and international scene as one of the ment. Some understand integration of mana- Prof. Miklós: Indeed, most support from the first propagators and implementers of the gement in a way that everybody should mana- EU goes into the water sector the drinking wa- concept of integrated landscape manage- ge something. Of course, it is acceptable and ter supply, waste water treatment and flood ment. How do your visions correspond or necessary for everyone to take responsibility prevention. Besides one project, the major ISPA differ from those GWP is trying to imple- for the use of the river basin, but the substance and Cohesion Fund infrastructure projects sup- ment in the practice? must be of understanding the reality; water in ported the water management sector, which needs the most financial support. Total costs Prof. Miklós: Basically, they do not differ. It calculated in the EU approximation strategy is rather a question of understanding becau- for the Slovak Republic revealed that in order se integrated management is perceived diffe- to comply with EU legislation, the country ne- rently on different levels. Some perceive this eds 4.7 billion EUR (188 billion Slovak crowns) concept in legislative terms, others as a pro- for the improvement and development of the cess, some as layout or scheme and or even as water protection and management infrastruc- a substance. I think that this needs to be joi- ture and 5.3 billion EUR for operational costs ned; all views have to be followed up with ob- (212 billion Slovak crowns), out of which 2.25 jective aspects. I can explain my perception of billion EUR is earmarked for waste waters (90 the objective aspect of integrated manage- billion Slovak crowns) until 2015 and 0.475 bil- ment: integrated management of water has to lion EUR (19 billion Slovak crowns) for the im- include not only water but also the vessel into plementation of the Flood Protection Program- which water is flowing - the whole river basin. me until 2010. This is a calculated estimation The river basin consists of the soil, geological of costs; however, some experts are estimating foundation, forests, meadows, cities and other even higher costs. material elements, which need to be taken into consideration. Understanding that IWRM can Water Talk: So far, WFD is the most com- be implemented merely throughout landsca- plex set of goals, tools and commitments in pe management in the whole basin, not only the EU water sector. Two main WFD goals in the river itself, has to be followed by ove- are the protection and improvement of wa- rarching legislation. We tried to achieve this in ter ecosystems quality and sustainable, ba- early 1990 during the revision of the Landsca- lanced and equitable water use. This direc- pe Planning Act, which contains features of the landscape needs to be considered as its in- tive, which provides broad opportunities for LANDEP (landscape planning) and USES (ter- tegral part and then to come up for the legisla- public participation in river basin manage- ritorial systems of ecological stability).