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Vienna, 14 October 2005. ICPDR President 2005 István Őri announced the winner of the International Danube Art Master Competition in Budapest: A German School (6 A, Secondary School "Auf der Schanz") wins the competition, which made part of the Danube Day celebrations 2005. As in 2004, this competition was carried out jointly by the ICPDR and the Danube Environmental Forum in all 13 Danube countries.

The Joint Danube Survey 2001 was carried out by the ICPDR and is the most homogenous analysis of the water quality and the ecological status of the Danube River. Over 140 chemical and biological parameters were analysed and over 40.000 laboratory results were generated.

“29 June” is the international Danube Day. It was first celebrated by the ICPDR in 2004 to highlight the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Danube River Protection Convention. Through the joint effort of different organizations, the celebration of Danube Day throughout the Danube River Basin became an annual event, paying tribute to the Danube and the rivers that flow into it.

The TransNational Monitoring Network is an important tool under the Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC), whose Contracting Parties are committed to co-operate in the field of monitoring and assessment. Formally launched in 1996, the TNMN aims to provide a well-balanced overall view of pollution and long-term trends in water quality and pollution loads in the major rivers in the Danube River Basin.

daNUbs was a mulitnational EU research project carried out under the leadership of the Technical University of Vienna. The results from this project include estimates of nutrient inputs into the river network (MONERIS), as well as an assessment of the loads of nitrogen, phosphorus and silica transported via the river network. These results indicate that the nutrient status in the Black Sea has significantly improved since the 1980s.

The Accident Emergency Warning System (AEWS) of the Danube River Basin is activated whenever there is a risk of transboundary water pollution, or threshold danger levels of certain hazardous substances are exceeded.

Accidental pollution in the Danube River Basin can cause widespread damage to the environment, and endanger the health of local people and the state of local economies downstream. This was exemplified by the effects of the Baia Mare cyanide spill in Romania in 2000 or by the Hungarian redsludge accident at Ajka in 2010. The ICPDR is working to prevent accidental pollution and to improve response capability by compiling an inventory of all relevant "Accident Risk Spots".

Organic pollution has been on the rise in the Danube over the last century, as human activities have resulted in increasing loads of wastewater rich in organic matter. The most serious organic pollution problems occur in tributaries that regularly receive untreated or inadequately treated wastewater from industrial plants and municipalities. Thanks to the significant improvement of wastewater infrastructure and services in the Danube countries, the basin-wide organic emissions reduced by 60% since the mid 2000s.

Hazardous substances can remain in the environment for a very long time, and harm ecosystems and human health. Although monitoring indicates that the loads of some substances have been reduced in recent years, many problems still persist. The increasing number of these man-made substances present in the environment is a matter of concern, and calls for the application of the precautionary principle.