The DANUBE RIVER BASIN

A Programme of Measures
Addressing Agricultural Pressures

Philip Weller,
ICPDR Executive Secretary
World Bank Regional Conference, Oct 2010
From the Black Forest
to the Black Sea
Danube River
Protection Convention

Signed
on 29 June 1994
in Sofia - Bulgaria

DRPC is a legal frame for cooperation to assure

the protection of water and ecological
resources and their sustainable use in the
Danube River Basin.
ICPDR -
International Commission for the
Protection of the Danube River

The ICPDR, established by the DRPC:

has the mandate to ensure conservation, improvement and
rational use of surface waters and ground water

reduce inputs of nutrients and hazardous substances

control floods and ice hazards

reduce pollution loads to the Black Sea

Since 2000 the ICPDR is the coordinating body for

implementing the EU Water Framework Directive in DRB
Contracting Parties

Germany Bosnia & Herzegovina

Austria Serbia
Czech Republic Montenegro
Slovakia Romania
Hungary Bulgaria
Slovenia Rep. of Moldova
Croatia Ukraine
European Union
Trans National Monitoring
Network - TNMN
Pollution reduction:

Joint Action Programme

2001-2005
Investments and
expected results
Investments:
» Municipal wastewater collection & treatment 3.709 bill USD
» Industrial waste water treatment 0.276 bill USD
» Agricultural projects and land use 0.113 bill USD
» Rehabilitation of wetlands 0.323 bill USD
Nitrogen reduction:
» from point sources 58,600 t/y
» from diffuse sources 60,000 t/y
» total emission reduction: 22 %
Phosphorus reduction:
» from point sources 12,000 t/y
» from diffuse sources 4,000 t/y
» total emission reduction 33 %
Investments
Joint Action Program
Numbe r of inve stme nt proje cts achie ve d by 2006 pe r country

35
30 6
3
2 6
25 7
6
3
20 14 13 3
3 7 6
15 15
7 0 5 22
10 4 17 0 4
12 12 5 13 0
11 1 2
5 8 7 0 8 7
5 4 4
0
AT BA BG HR CZ DE HU MD RO RS SK SI UA

Municipal Industrial and agro-industrial Wetlands

Danube Basin Analysis
WFD Article V Roof Report
 First comprehensive analysis of the
entire Danube River Basin

 Basis for any future river basin

management planning

 Identification of SWMIs

Approved at the Ministerial

Meeting – Vienna,
13 December 2004
Significant Water
Management Issues

Organic Nutrient Hazardous Hydromorphological

Pollution Pollution Substances Pollution Alterations
Danube River Basin
Management Plan
Finalised in December 2009
Reflects
 Water status of the DRB waters
 Significant Water Management Issues
Includes
 Joint Programme of Measures
 Evaluation on measures
implementation
Enables
 Conclusions on investment and funding
DRBM Plan
Joint Programme of Measures

It is the heart of the DRBM Plan that outlines:

 Visions and management objectives for each
Significant Water Management Issues

 Measures on the basin-wide scale

 Needs for future funding

JPM addresses the problems in the Danube River Basin

Ministerial Meeting
February 16, 2010
ICPDR MINISTERIAL
MEETING 2010
The ministers of all Danube
countries endorsed the
Danube Declaration, which
expresses the commitment to
further reinforce transboundary
cooperation on sustainable
water resource management
within the Danube River Basin.
 Organic
Key Conclusions
Pollution

Considerable reduction through measures of

Baseline Scenario-UWWT to be implemented by 2015 but

achievement of WFD environmental objectives on the

basin-wide scale 2015 not ensured

Significant efforts still need to be undertaken

for next RBM cycles

Agriculture and Land Use -
Agri-environmental Measures
in the DRB

Nutrients reduction, e.g. limits in fertiliser

use (time and type), nutrient balances on
farm level
Pesticide reduction in all farming
practices
Organic farming: input reduction,
rotation, intensification of livestock
Soil erosion measures
Wetlands reconnection
SWMI Nutrients
Pressures assessment
MONERIS – a model for point
source and diffuse source
emissions calculations
Inclusion of wetlands!
Model to answer the questions
The model is well
established in
Europe
The model
includes the main
processes in
relation to the
sources and
pathways of
nutrient inputs
into the surface
waters as well as
retention.
 Different Scenarios
Nutrient
Pollution
- Nutrients
• Overall Baseline Scenario – Nutrients 2015 considers

• Most likely developments in different sectors

(urban wastewater, agriculture, atmospheric deposition)

• Describes reduction expectation by 2015

• Other calculated scenarios

• Agricultural Scenarios-Nutrient 2015 1 & 2

• Phosphate Ban Scenario

Basin wide Vision on
Nutrient Pollution

The ICPDR’s basin wide vision for nutrient pollution is

“The balanced management of nutrient emissions

via point and diffuse sources in the entire DRB,
that neither the waters of the DRB nor the Black
Sea are threatened or impacted by eutrophication”
 Nutrients pollution
reduction by 2015
Nutrient
Pollution

Nitrogen Phosphorous

•Management objectives and EU WFD objectives not ensured

•N emissions to surface waters in 2015: 12% lower. Loads to the Black Sea still
far above (40%) the load of the 1960‘s.
•P emissions to surface waters in 2015: 25 % lower. Load to the Black Sea still
above (15%) that of the 1960‘s

Introduction of Phosphate free detergents in the DRB

EU Danube Strategy
A new challenge and new opportunities !
Difficulties and Gaps in
Current Activities

 Need for intersectoral cooperation (Environment,

Agriculture, Energy – Hydropower)
 Sub-basin cooperation improved and strengthened
(Tisza, Sava, Prut, Danube delta)
 Climate Change Adaption Needed
 The next steps

September 2010 – final draft and internal

Commission procedures

December 2010 - adoption by the College of

Commissioners

2011 - Council endorsement under HU Presidency

For further information see www.icpdr.org
Thank you for your attention!