News & Media

130 high school students from ten countries have contributed to the fifth Joint Danube Survey (JDS5), the world's largest surface water monitoring effort, collecting water samples along the Danube and its tributaries that were then screened for 447 pesticides in a European Commission laboratory. For the first time, citizen science forms an integral part of the Joint Danube Survey.

On Friday, 26th June, the Marble Hall of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) was filled with familiar faces and new energy as the International Association for Danube Research (IAD) and its Austrian Committee marked a double anniversary: 70 years of the IAD and 50 years of its Austrian Committee.

VIENNA, 29 June 2026, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) invites the 79 million people in the 14 Danube countries to take part in Danube Day – this year under the motto: “United by Danube”. On 29 June, communities from the Black Forest to the Black Sea will share celebrations on riverbanks, in parks, and at local venues to honour the Danube River and its vital role in providing water, food, power, recreation, and livelihood.

Uzhhorod, Ukraine, 11–12 June 2026 – The ICPDR has held its 24th Standing Working Group (SWG) Meeting in a hybrid format, bringing delegations and observers together in person in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, and online from across the Danube River Basin.

The ICPDR is proud to announce its appointment as the formal host and Non-Country Member of the newly established Danube WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative (RRI). Approved by the 63rd meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands, this initiative becomes the 22nd Ramsar Regional Initiative globally and the first river-based RRI in Europe.

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.

We are thrilled to report the immense success of the recent Danube Art Master exhibition held in Bratislava. The exhibition ran for one week, from 20-26th June, at the iconic location of Hviezdoslav Square in the old town of Bratislava. A special visit took place during the ICPDR's annual plenary, the 22nd Standing Working Group (StWG) meeting, traditionally hosted by the country holding the ICPDR Presidency, which this year is Slovakia.

VIENNA, 29 June – The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) announces festivities for Danube Day 2024.