As 2002 draws to an end we should remind ourselves of what we have achieved this year and hint at the challenges that lie ahead of the ICPDR in 2003.
The August flood in central Europe captured a lot of public attention and triggered massive institutional effort in the Danube countries. In response to the flood, the first Flood Conference was held in Berlin on September 15, ending with the German Federal Government's Five-Point Programme to improve flood defence.
Another international conference held in Budapest on December 1 resulted in a joint statement expressing the participants’ determination to strengthen international cooperation on sustainable flood management. The ICPDR responded by establishing a new Expert Group for Flood Protection and charged it with developing by October 2004 an Action Programme for Sustainable Flood Protection in the Danube River Basin. In addition, it was agreed that all river basin commissions, in particular those of the Danube, the Odra, the Elbe and the Rhine, should actively cooperate in 2003, exchange information and share knowledge in establishing adequate mechanisms for flood prevention and control.

Under the guidance of the ICPDR River Basin Management Expert Group, all Danube countries have made important progress this year in developing mechanisms for the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. The main achievements include the development of guidelines for the assessment of surface and groundwater bodies, the preparation of a GIS system including the development of an overview map for the Danube River Basin, and the development of guidelines for economic analysis, transboundary issues and public participation in the planning process.
The MLIM Expert Group has produced the 1998 and 1999 Yearbooks. Yearbook 2000 will be available early in 2003. The first comparative analysis of water quality in the five-year period of 1996 – 2000 is also expected in 2003. It will show changes over time in water quality and ecosystems in the Danube River and its tributaries.
Results of the Danube and the Tizsa surveys have been published; summary reports in the English and German languages, the main report containing a complete scientific analysis of the data, and a special report on the Tizsa survey are all available in the print form and can also be downloaded from our website.
The EMIS Expert Group has prepared an updated list of municipal and industrial point sources in the Danube catchment with reference year 2000. The list has been available on the ICPDR web page since April.
On December 3, the Sava Basin Agreement was signed in Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), establishing the modalities of cooperation between Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Yugoslavia to rehabilitate navigation on the Sava and to assure environmental protection of its waters and ecosystems. The ICPDR, with the assistance of the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project will cooperate with the Sava Initiative in preparing a pilot project for the development of a River Basin Management Plan that would implement the EU Water Framework Directive.
Of particular importance has been the development of the DABLAS database (under the Danube-Black Sea Task Force) and the preparation of over 150 Project Fact Sheets. These projects will be prioritised and submitted for donor support. The DABLAS Task Force expects that the first donor meeting scheduled for early 2000will pledge funds to co-finance municipal wastewater treatment plants in the Danube and Black Sea countries.
Most of the activities of the ICPDR and its expert groups were supported and reinforced by the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project. 16 project components have been prepared so far and discussed with the Expert Groups and the technical staff of the Secretariat to develop terms of reference and to select consultants at the international and national levels. These project components will be implemented in 2003 as an important step towards implementing the ICPDR Joint Action Programme.
Responding to all tasks related to the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the cooperation with the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project called for additional capacities to be mobilized. Therefore, new expert bodies were created in 2002 for GIS, economics, and flood protection. Since they all rely on technical and organizational support provided by the Secretariat, the Secretariat will in 2003 have to draw additional support from consultants, who will work under its guidance.
The challenge facing the ICPDR in 2003 lies in implementing numerous activities launched this year. This will only be possible with the commitment, cooperation and support from governments, scientific institutions and NGOs. The ICPDR calls on all Danube countries, Contracting Parties, NGOs and cooperating agencies, all those committed to and engaged in protecting waters and ecosystems in the Danube River Basin, to actively support the concerted effort to build a sustainable and healthy environment in the Danube Basin and at the same time build and expand Europe bearing in mind our shared historical and cultural heritage.

Joachim Bendow
Executive Secretary