News

On Monday, 23 January, the European Union takes over the annual Presidency of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR).
Incoming President Peter Gammeltoft has set three main priorities for his term: strengthening of financial support for the ICPDR, assessing the impact of agricultural activities on the Danube River Basin environment, and increasing the visibility of the ICPDR.

On 6 and 7 December 2016 the ICPDR held its 19th Ordinary Meeting in Vienna.
Beside the heads of delegation and representatives of the 15 contracting parties to the ICPDR, about 60 participants from all Danube countries, observers and invited guests attended this important event.

Vienna, 26/27 June 2014. The 3rd EUSDR Annual Conference put the spotlight on the ICPDR at several occasions: the commission’s 20th anniversary was celebrated through a special session; and exhibitions, plenary and working group sessions dealt with improving the alignment of ICPDR and EUSDR work – reinforced by a ministerial declaration.

Luxemburg, 13 May 2014. According to an EU Audit, the union has only partially succeeded in integrating water policy goals into the common agricultural policy (CAP). The audit highlighted weaknesses in the two instruments currently used to integrate water concerns into the CAP and pointed out delays and weaknesses in the implementation of the WFD.

Brno, 14 November 2011. The recent publication of a Czech version of the PLATINA Manual is a major step in promoting good practices in inland navigation and waterway planning. The translated manual was presented in the framework of the PLATINA Interactive Conference and Workshop held in Brussels on 15th November 2011. It can be downloaded from a link provided below.

Brussels, 15 November 2011. A groundbreaking conference in Brussels has seen two traditionally opposing waterways groups come together to discuss how to co-operate for the benefit of Europe’s rivers and canals.

Belgrade, 29 June 2012. This year's Danube Day, the ICPDR gathered some 25 representatives from ministries, NGOs, schools and other educational institutions on a ship travelling from Belgrade to Vienna. Their mission: finding new ways to communicate water management issues to young people. The closing report is now ready for download.

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.