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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.

In October 2007, a "Joint Statement on Inland Navigation and Environmental Sustainability in the Danube River Basin" was concluded, followed by a series of annual meetings. Here, we present reports, minutes and background materials of these meetings.

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.

The Danube navigation dialogue, concluded in October 2007 with the finalisation of the "Joint Statement", is continued. A first follow-up meeting was held in January 2009 in Budapest, a second one is held in March 2010 in Zagreb, serving to assessing the progress achieved so far and discussing how to improve the application of the "Joint Statement" in waterway projects.

Between April and October 2007, an integrated stakeholder dialogue was conducted by ICPDR, Danube Commissson and the International Sava Commission. Main activities were 3 workshops and the drafting of the Joint Statement document.

In October 2007, a "Joint Statement on Inland Navigation and Environmental Sustainability in the Danube River Basin" was concluded and very positively received by stakeholders. In the years that followed, the responsible government authorities and interest groups met again to discuss the progress achieved so far and how to improve the application of the Joint Statement in waterway projects. These meetings continue.

The ICPDR Ministerial Meeting 2004 was the first Meeting of the Parties to the Danube River Protection Convention. The Meeting was happeing in the year of the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Danube River Protection Convention. The meeting aimed to highlight the success achived and to get ready for the challanges to come.

The Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin (EPDRB) was initiated in 1991 (Bulgaria) based on ongoing activities to strengthen the international cooperation along the Danube river, aiming to enhance environmental quality of the river basin. The EPDRB, especially through its Strategic Action Plan, supported also the development of the Danube River Protection Convention.

The Pollution Reduction Programme was prepared in the frame of the UNDP/GEF assistance to the Danube Programme Coordination Unit. The PRP presents a group of projects and measures that respond to identified pollution and transboundary effects in the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea. Projects for pollution reduction are presented for identified sub-basin areas and for significant impact areas (SIA).