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Despite the EU's advanced waste management and ambitious recycling objectives, studies still indicate the presence of macro and microplastic pollution in EU rivers. The Tid(y)Up project focuses on improving water quality and reducing plastic pollution in the Tisza River, which is long considered one of Europe’s most heavily contaminated rivers.

The project aims to restore the Danube River Basin for ecosystems and people, an EU ‘Lighthouse Initiative’ supporting the Mission to “Restore our ocean and waters by 2030."Launched in January 2023, DANUBE4all is a 5-year EU "Lighthouse Initiative" project funded by Horizon Europe, aiming to restore freshwater ecosystems in the Danube River Basin.

Since March 2019, the ICPDR, in cooperation with the Babes-Bolyai University and the non-governmental organisation, “Sustainable Development Platform”, has been implementing a new project: “Capacity development to improve safety conditions of tailings management facilities in the Danube River Basin – Phase I: North-Eastern Danube countries”.

Vienna, 20 Dec 2019. The ICPDR provides an interim overview on Significant Water Management Issues (SWMIs) in the Danube River Basin District for the 3rd Danube River Basin Management Plan (3rd DRBMP) and invites the public to comment on this document until June 2020.

On Thursday 12 December 2019, We Pass – an EU-funded project with the ICPDR aiming to facilitate fish migration and habitat conservation in the Danube River Basin – held its first stakeholder workshop on the banks of the Danube River in Vienna, Austria.

A fitness check of the Water Framework Directive, its associated Directives, and the Floods Directive concludes that they are overall fit for purpose, with some room for enhanced effectiveness.

Sediment Management is an essential element of River Basin Management Plans. Sediment is an essential, integral and dynamic part of our river basins. Where human activities interfere with sediment quantity or quality, sediment management becomes necessary. the European Sediment Network (SedNet), aims at providing scientific and user oriented input into the WFD implementation phase and organised its third Round Table in cooperation with the ICPDR and the International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe River.

On 27 October 2016, the Donauauen National Park celebrated 20 years of existence. ICPDR Executive Secretary Ivan Zavadksy addressed in his keynote speech the parallels that can be drawn between the creation of the ICPDR and that of Danube Parks - both results of environmental awareness-raising following the fall of the iron curtain and both institutions to be considered as “agents of change”.

On 23 September 2016, the opening ceremony of the hatchery station of the EU project LIFE Sterlet was held on the Danube Island in Vienna.
The ICPDR has been one of the first organisations to advocate the protection of this flagship species, raise awareness for the threat to see Danube sturgeons become totally extinct and support projects and initiatives such as LIFE Sterlet.

Danube Basin, 29 June 2016. Creative events for children, behind-the-scenes tours in water management institutes, field visits in nature reserves: Danube Day reflects the diversity of the Danube River Basin. Join tens of thousands of people in 14 countries to celebrate the biggest river festival in the world.