News

Barely a month after hosting the 24th ICPDR Standing Working Group Meeting in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, brought the Danube community together again. On July 24th, Ukraine hosted its 6th National Participation Day in Odesa as part of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). The event highlighted the alignment between the priorities of Ukraine’s ICPDR Presidency and the country’s path towards EU membership.

Ukraine, one of the 15 ICPDR contracting parties, has officially adopted all its nine River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs), marking a significant step towards sustainable water management in line with European Union (EU) and international standards.

The ICPDR held a highly successful workshop titled "Sustainable Hydropower Development and Environmental Objectives – Framework, Challenges, and Ways Forward" on 4-5 June 2024 at the BOKU River Lab in Vienna. Building on workshops from 2017 and 2021, the event brought together experts from energy and environmental policy sectors, the hydropower industry, NGOs, and researchers.

On October 10th and 11th, the much-anticipated biannual Danube Forecasting Forum (DAFF) took place in Budapest, Hungary. Organized in collaboration with the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) and the EU Joint Research Center (EU JRC), this event brought together stakeholders from the 13 countries along the Danube and members of the Danube Youth Council (DYC) under EUSDR PA5.

In the wake of what has been declared the nation's 'worst-ever natural disaster,’ more than 70% of Slovenia's territory, predominantly situated in the Danube River Basin, has been severely affected by extreme flooding. The scale of this catastrophe has led to billions of Euros in damages and a tragic loss of lives.

Following the publication of the ICPDR's Danube River Basin Management Plan (DRBMP) & Danube Flood Risk Management Plan (DFRMP) Update 2021, and their endorsement at the 4th Danube Ministerial Meeting, these important publications have been given a new and fresh look and summarised into two brochures.

Vienna, 9 February 2016. Cleaner, healthier and safer waters for everyone to enjoy - this is the objective of two management plans for the Danube River Basin that were endorsed in Vienna today. The management plans foresee measures that will be implemented over a six-year period until 2021.

Vienna, 16 December 2015. Defining the water management priorities for the Danube Basin until 2021, the ICPDR has published the Danube River Basin Management Plan Update 2015 and the Flood Risk Management Plan for the Danube River Basin today.

Sarajevo, 19 June 2013. As an essential step in maintaining a dialogue with the hydropower sector, the ICPDR's Standing Working Group has adopted the "Guiding Principles on Sustainable Hydropower Development in the Danube Basin". The document is available for download here.

Ljubljana, 26/27 March 2013. Organised by Slovenia and the ICPDR, a conference on hydropower and water management will be held where draft guiding principles will be discussed with a broader audience, accompanied by presentations on practical examples for the application.