Brussels, 29/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - The call by the European Commission for enhanced regional cooperation for the ecological restoration of the Danube and the Black Sea - a region of growing strategic importance in view of an enlarged Union - was heard during the informal meeting between the Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström and the Ministers for the protection of waters in the countries concerned (see EUROPE of 24 November, p.8). The Ministerial declaration adopted following this meeting bears witness to this as it subscribes to the action plan drafted by the Commission in its recent Communication on this issue (see EUROPE of 1 November, p.12).
The Ministers reaffirm their undertaking to improve the quality of water in the region, to implement the Convention for the protection of the Danube and the Convention for the protection of the Black Sea, as well as to promote the development of a agreement memorandum that has just been signed between these two instruments for international cooperation. They underline their appreciation for the co-ordinating role undertaken by the European Commission in enhancing this cooperation and welcome the proposal it made to create an informal working group between the two Conventions, - the DABLAS Task Force-, to accelerate the implementation of the environmental projects identified as priorities. Co-operation between their countries, the European Commission, international financial institutions and other donors should, according to them, aim to facilitate and improve the identification, preparation and financing of priority projects, notably through the mobilisation of additional resources and through the participation at all level of decision-making. They express their desire to define and continue together the regional priorities, and undertake to include in their national programmes and strategies eligible for international financial support all the projects beneficial for the environment of the Danube and the Black Sea.
The Ministers recognise the benefits to be drawn from the harmonisation of their national legislation with Community legislation in the environmental sector and underline their intention to implement a water policy based on the management of the hydrological basin, in accordance with the approach adopted by the Framework Directive on water. They state their readiness to co-ordinate efforts to improve cooperation with other actors in the region such as the European Environment Agency, the regional environmental reconstruction programme for South Eastern Europe, the regional centres for the environment.
The declaration's signatory countries are as follows: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Yugoslavia and three EU Member States: Germany, Austria and Italy.
Danube is officially reopened to shipping
Two years after the bombing, by NATO, of the three bridges of Novi Sad in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Danube Commission celebrated, this Thursday in Budapest, in the presence of 11 countries along the Danube, the solemn reopening of the Danube to navigation thanks to the establishment of a temporary 80 meter marked channel (over a total length of 300 meters) freed from mines and metal waste in Novi Sad, and announced that it would publish, by the end of next week, calls for tenders for the remaining works to be undertaken in order to completely clean the Danube and totally free navigation. With the support of the European Commission, an agreement was reached between the Danube Commission and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the timetable for opening the provisional pontoon in Novi Sad, which would form the last barrier to navigation. Thanks to this agreement, ship owners will be able to plan their activities.
The European Commission, which plays a driving role in this event by achieving the immediate transfer of a EUR 22 million Community contribution from the international financing for the rubble clean-up operations on the bridges and the residue from unexploded devices (or 86% of the projects total cost) in the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, it welcomed the success. In a Communiqué, President Romano Prodi states: It is very good news for Europeans and their environment. The Danube is a major European river, which crosses the present and future Member States of the Union. For Chris Patten Commissioner for External Relations, the reopening of the Danube for navigation illustrates the way in which the post-Milosevic democratic FRY is progressively returning to the European flow.
For the reconstruction of the suspension bridges in Sloboda (last to be rebuilt), the Commission is prepared to bring its financial support, but it is premature to put forward a figure. Once this "jewel of civil engineering" rebuilt, the provisional pontoon allowing the crossing of 30,000 vehicles per day will be destroyed.s