Transboundary River Basin cooperation in Central-Europe

Péter Kovács State secretary for water, Hungary

2013.02.13-14, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

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HUNGARY IN THE DANUBE BASIN

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Why is the international water co-operation so important for Hungary? - Upstream countries-downstream countries

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International co-operation in the water sector• Bilateral co-operation

– Transboundary (neighbouring countries)– With other countries

• Multilateral co-operation– International Conventions

» (Helsinki, Danube,etc.)

• European (Union) level co-operation– Common working platform (27 Member States)– Common basic legislation– Help in implementation process:

» Investment funds, projects» Twinning Projects, etc.

• Global level water co-operation

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Main functions of rivers:

Ecology, green corridor Flood plain area Recreation Water resource Wastewater recipient Energy resource Transport way

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The quantity of waters are changeable: sometimes the too much water, sometimes lack of waters can cause damages at the same sites

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Extreme hydrological conditions

Droughts

„Flash” floods

Inland excess waters

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Main drivers, pressures and impacts on water-based ecosystems

• Drivers: energy production, flood control, navigation, developments in industry and agriculture, urbanization and other infrastructural developments

• Pressures: construction of dams, weirs, ports, riverdiversion and regulation, irrigation, water abstraction, wastewater discharge, canalisation, shoreline protection

• Impacts: changes in hydro-morphological conditions, horizontal and longitudinal ecosystem discontinuity of water courses, disappearing floodplains, degraded shoreline ecosystems, increased chemical loads

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„Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy”

Water Framework Directive

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sub-surface waters: good quantitative status good chemical status

surface waters: good ecological status good chemical status

General objective: good status of water bodies by 2015

Main tools - RBMP’s , Programmes of Measures

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Transboundary River Commissions

With all 7 neighbouring country – historical form of cooperation – different structures – identical objectives

• Flood management, river engineering• Hydrological forecast, data exchange• Water quality protection• Water management, protection of water resources

(quality & quantity)• Integrated River Basin Management

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Danube River Protection Convention

Legal frame for cooperation to assure protection of water and ecological resources and

their sustainable use in the Danube River Basin.

Signed: 29 June 1994, Sofia

The main objectives of the Convention:

- sustainable and equitable water management- conservation and rational use of surface and groundwater- contol of hazardous substances originating from accidents- control of floods and ice-hazards- reduction of pollution loads of Black sea

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Structure of the Danube Region Strategy

Connecting the Danube Region • (1) improving mobility - • 1a (inland navigation) – AT, RO; • 1b (rail, road air) – SI, SRB• (2) encouraging sustainable energy – CZ, HU • (3) promoting culture and tourism – BG, ROProtecting the environment in the Danube Region • (4) restoring water quality – HU, SK• (5) managing environmental risks – HU, RO• (6) preserving biodiversity – GE, CROBuilding prosperity in the Danube Region • (7) developing research capacity – SK, SRB • (8) education and information technologies, supporting • the competitiveness of enterprises - DE, CRO• (9) investing in people’s skills – AT, MDStrengthening the Danube Region • (10) stepping up institutional capacity, and cooperation of institutions – AT, SI• (11) improving cooperation to tackle organised crime, security – DE, BG

Adopted at EU Council meeting 23 June 2011.

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Tisza River Basin cooperation

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Human activities damaged the Tisza River Basin

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• Assets– The Tisza River Basin

• one of the most picturesque regions in Europe• blessed with rich biodiversity • it has unique freshwater ecosystems • percentage in the Danube River Basin is 19.5%

• Problems to solve – Human influenced the region during recent centuries

contributing to problems due to • Farming, forestry• Mining• River engineering

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Initiating cooperation in Tisza sub-basin scale

– In the frame of the 7th Ordinary Meeting of the ICPDR (2004) counties adopted and signed the Tisza Memorandum of Understanding to • Develop the Tisza Analysis Report as a first step • Prepare the Integrated Tisza River Basin

Management Plan• Implement the Program of Measures

– In 2011 MoU renewed has been strengthened (Tisza Ministerial Meeting, 11 April 2011, Uzhgorod, Ukraine)

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Main pillars of the cooperation – The framework of the work is the ICPDR, the cooperation

facilitated via ICPDR Secretariat– Work has been supported by all relevant ICPDR Expert

Groups– Significant financing sources from

• Countries of the Tisza River Basin (Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia)

• European Commission• UNDP• GEF • UNEP Carpathian Convention

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What has been done 2004-2012– ICPDR Tisza Group has been established within

the framework of the ICPDR in 2004– Experts delegated to the ICPDR Tisza Group from

all countries of the Tisza River Basin + observers– ICPDR Tisza Group (within the framework of the

ICPDR) developed the Tisza Analysis Report (2007) and Integrated Tisza River Basin Management Plan (2010)

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Overview of the main achievements of ICPDR Tisza Group

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Challenges to be addressed in the TRB

•Water quality related pressures•Water quantity related pressures•Integration of water quality and quantity in the TRB•Implementation of the Tisza Program of

Measures(2011 – ongoing)

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Measures to be addressed

• Identify measures to reduce impacts from pressures (nutrient-, organic-, hazardous substance - pollution, engineering work)

• Identify measures with positive impact on both water quality and quantity

…. to reach good water status by 2015

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Implementation

Implementation of the ITRBM Plan will be done in national level ICPDR Tisza Group will follow up on and monitor

implementation of Tisza PoM and will report about the process in the 2012 report and will summarize achievements in the 2nd TRBM Plan in 2015

24Agenda Item: 7.2

Relevant project: EU Grant DRBMP-2012 • Development of the Tisza case study on agriculture

and water management as well as• Development of the Tisza case study on climate

change adaptation

Ongoing activities

25Agenda Item: 7.2

• Further development of Communication Strategy for Integrated Water Management in the Tisza River Basin

• US "IGERT" Program in Watershed Science & Policy: 2013 Research Partnership in the Tisza River Basin

• Cooperation with UNEP Carpathian Convention

Other relevant activities

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• Work still need to be done – The next step is to implement the Joint Tisza

Programme of Measures to reach good status of the waters of the Tisza River Basin supporting the sustainable development of the region

• Challenges – Integrating water quality and quantity in land and water

planning will be essential. To achieve this success in the Tisza River Basin, countries must work together and with all other partners

– Countries have committed themselves for the continuation of the work, but future financial basis still need to be secured

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• Lessons learned – The Tisza River Basin is a good example of coordinated

successful co-financing, bringing together diverse countries for commonly agreed goals

– The described Tisza activities also exemplify how the benefits of financial funds can be maximized having high level commitments as a basis of the transboundary work

• Replication potential – Danube Delta sub basin– Prut River Basin– Other sub basins (?)

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Way forward - Future of water policiesThe world, Europe, Danube basin and Hungary facing

with new water challenges:We are looking for steps further…

World Water Forum (Marseille, March 2012)

Rio+20 Conference(Rio de Janeiro, 20-22 June 2012 )

Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources - Future of EU water policy

(2012)

Budapest Water Summit(08-11 October 2013)

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Thank you for your kind attention !