News

From October 20-26, 2024, more than 100 young people from across Europe are meeting in Budapest and Szolnok, Hungary to take part in the 16th European Youth Parliament for Water (EYPW). Since 1998, these parliaments have provided a platform for young people to discuss and act on critical water-related issues. This year’s event focuses on the connection between water and biodiversity, a growing concern due to pollution, over-extraction, and climate change.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released its latest report, “Europe’s State of Water 2024: The Need for Improved Water Resilience,” shedding light on the growing challenges to Europe’s water security. The report, which draws on data from the 3rd River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs), highlights significant pressures on surface and groundwater bodies across Europe, emphasizing the need for immediate action to strengthen water resilience.

On October 3, 2024, Budapest hosted an important conference, “From Source to Tap,” focused on microplastics in drinking water, one of the most pressing environmental concerns faced today. This event brought together leading experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss the rising concern of microplastics and the challenges of ensuring safe and clean drinking water for the Danube region. With more than 110 registrations, the conference indicated a significant public and professional interest on the matter.

Dubrovnik, 17 October 2012. The Sixth GEF Biennial International Waters Conference, as with prior IW Conferences, was a learning event for the GEF IW focal area held in the Croatian town of Dubrovnik from the 17th to the 21st of October. The general objective of the conference is to facilitate cross-sectoral and portfolio-wide learning and experience sharing.

Chisinau, 2/3 March 2012. The 5th International Conference Ecological Chemistry 2012 will be held on March 2-3, 2012 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. A conference announcement.

Kolontár, 4 October 2010. A dam at a Hungarian aluminium factory near Kolontár broke. Approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of alkaline red sludge and water were released with disastrous consequences: 10 people died, hundreds of hectares of agricultural land were contaminated. One year after these events, we collected information on the current environmental conditions in the area. As an ongoing effort, the Accident Prevention and Control Expert Group of the ICPDR continues its work to avoid or mitigate such disasters in the future.

Samsun, 30 October 2009. International Black Sea Action Day will be celebrated on October 30-31 in Samsun, Turkey, with activities jointly organized by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forest and the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution (Black Sea Commission). Within this context, a two-day workshop is being organized where the threats facing the sea, efforts to cope with these threats in various fields and the current situation of the Black Sea will be discussed.

Vienna, 29 September 2009. 15 year-old Vasyl Vataman from Ukraine has won the International Danube Art Master 2009 Competition. The winning submission was created shows a miniaturist recreation of the Danube ecosystem, presents the strip of the Danube that is familiar to the artist: his village cut in half by the river with its particular features like a wooden bridge, fountain, a small house and roads.

The European Commission launched the PLATINA project to implement efficiently actions and measures promoting inland waterway transport. The project brought together 22 partners from 9 European countries and aimed to serve as a platform for helping to implement the European inland navigation programme NAIADES.

Danube Basin, 26 June 2009. The joint responsibility for the river’s water and resources by all countries and communities is the focus of the 6th Danube Day on 29 June. The highlight is the ICPDR Stakeholder Forum, which will be held on 29-30 June in Bratislava.
Interested stakeholders from sectors including agriculture, industry and environmental organizations will discuss the draft Danube River Basin Management Plan.