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Drava Commission celebrates 50 years


This year marked 50 years since the establishment of the Permanent Slovenian-Austrian Commission for the Drava River.


 

Credit: Milan Vogrin
Slovenian Minister for Environment, Physical Planning and Energy Janez Kopac reviews achievements at the anniversary of the Drava Commission.

The two-day meeting, held in May, was organised in Ptuj, the oldest town in Slovenia. The purpose of the meeting was chiefly to review the commission’s work conducted in the past period, but stress was laid on the significance of the commission’s tasks in conducting the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).
One of the commission’s most important achievements in the last decade was the preparation of the detailed map of the Karavanke water resources. This project was a comprehensive analysis of the Karavanke water resources, and a valuable tool for development for both Slovenia and Austria. It is the first detailed study of water resource issues in a European mountain range. This project is one of the first professional foundations toward implementing the WFD.
The commission presented its work at a press conference on May 18, organised in the Ivan Potrc Library in Ptuj. Present were, among others: Janez Kopac, Slovenian Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy; Wolfgang Stalzer, Head of the Austrian Delgation to the ICPDR; Philip Weller, Secretary of the ICPDR; Herbert Wienerroither, President of the Austrian side of the Commission; and Mitja Bricelj, President of the Slovenian side of the Commission.
The last 50 years of the Drava Convention is a milestone not just for Austria and Slovenia, but for all countries who may look to the convention as a model for cooperation in the Danube River Basin.



 

Milan Vogrin