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The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) is an International Organisation consisting of 14 cooperating states and the European Union. Since its establishment in 1998, the ICPDR has grown into one of the largest and most active international bodies of river basin management expertise in Europe.

Given the complexity of the Danube River Basin, including many countries with widely differing economic and environmental management needs, one overall framework was required to sustainably manage the basin. In 2000, the ICPDR contracting parties nominated the ICPDR as the platform for the implementation of all transboundary aspects of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The WFD is a holistic legal and policy framework, based on transboundary cooperation in basins, seen by many as the strongest water protection legislation in the world. The ICPDR received a similar mandate in 2009 to support the coordination of the implementation of the EU Floods Directive. In its work to implement the EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the EU’s Floods Directive (FD), the ICPDR and its partners have developed a truly integrated approach to the management of the river basin and its resources.

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located at the convergence of Western, Central Southern Europe. Switzerland's natural landscape is marked by its numerous lakes and mountains, geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps, and the Jura.

Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. Poland has a temperate transitional climate, and its territory traverses the Central European Plain, extending from the Baltic Sea in the north to Sudeten and Carpathian Mountains in the south.

North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. Its terrain is mostly rugged, located between the Šar Mountains and Osogovo, which frame the valley of the Vardar River. Three large lakes - Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa, and Dojran Lake - lie on the southern borders, bisected by the frontiers with Albania and Greece. Ohrid is considered one of the world's oldest lakes and biotopes.

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. The country is located in the Balkans on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea. Albania has a variety of climatic, geological, hydrological, and morphological conditions. Albania boasts a significant diversity, with the landscape ranging from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny Albanian Adriatic and Ionian Sea Coasts.

Italy, officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy, is a country located in Southwestern Europe. Situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, it consists of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands; its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region.

Below you will find a collection of 10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), collected from common requests and inquiries made by journalists, observers, NGOs or the general public about the organisation, objectives and history of the ICPDR. They are also available in a PDF version.

Montenegro, literally meaning the “black mountain”, is a small upland country. Just over half of its territory lies within the Danube River Basin, the remainder being in the Adriatic Sea catchment. Notable Danube rivers are the Tara, Piva, Lim and Ćehotina and the Ibar. In October 2008, the Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River came into force in Montenegro.