Transboundary water issues in a macro-regional context: the Danube basin (Duna Régió Stratégia Környezeti Prioritásának végrehajtása)

Transboundary water issues in a macro-regional context: the Danube basin
11-12 September 2013, Budapest
Joint Stakeholder Conference within the framework of the Pillar „Protecting the Environment” of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region

Water is among the most precious resources of the 21st century. Both overabundance and scarcity of water threaten the sustainable development of many regions throughout the world. River basin management in a transboundary context is an essential and rapidly developing element of stepping up to ensure security and a better life for all.
The Danube River Basin can leverage from the widest range of potential platforms and tools. It is supported by the international and European legislation, conventions and cooperation on a wide spectrum of transboundary water management. To further utilize these potentials and to add a horizontal, intersectoral development and policy framework, fourteen countries and landers together with the European Commission established the Pillar 2 „Environment” of the EU Strategy for the the Danube Region. Facing economic crisis together with climate change, floods, droughts and numerous pressures the first years of implementation of the Strategy brought progress beyond the expectations. Preparing to the 2014-2020 EU Multiannual Financing Framework and the challenges we are to face it is time to reflect on scientific and technological solutions the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) employ and offer.
With a view to promoting the implementation of the EUSDR, Hungary as co-coordinator of water related Priority Areas of Pillar 2 volunteered to organise a conference enabling further discussion on water in the Danube macro-region. For this reason it will hold with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences a professional, Pillar 2-related scientific stakeholder conference in Budapest on 11-12 September 2013 with a title of Transboundary water issues in a macro-regional context: the Danube basin.
The aim of the conference is to provide an overview about scientific results and methods which are essential to the implementation of the water-related goals of the EU Strategy for the Danube Macro-region: innovative methods, new models and strategies will be presented which constitute the main contribution of science and innovation to the Danube Strategy.
The event will explore strategies and cooperative solutions to overcome these challenges and discuss the potential role that the stakeholders of the EUSDR could play in this context. The exchange of experience between river basins, also from outside Europe, is a key to address also climate change, changing patterns of water use and river basin management related issues in a timely manner.
The main messages and conclusions of the Conference will be summarised demonstrating the research results, project developments and experiences in the Danube macro-region. The conclusions will also serve as an input for further discussions at the forthcoming high-level Budapest Water Summit hosted by Hungary in October 2013 in cooperation with the UN.

To place the event into a wider political context the Conference will begin in the morning of 11 September 2013 with an introductory session comprising high level participants from DG REGIO, DG ENVIRONMENT and responsible Pillar 2 Danube countries.
Following the introductory session experienced international technical experts will share their views with the participants in several topics as follows:

Transboundary co-operation,
EU water policy and legislation, including the WFD, UWWT, FD;
Sharing waters, integrated river basin and international watercourse management
Complex flood and drought management
Drinking water protection in changing climate
Sanitation and waste water treatment improvements
Climate adaptation focusing on ecosystem protection and cross cutting issues
Implementation of economic instruments

The conference will also provide an opportunity to stakeholders to exchange experience in the context of the implementation of the EUSDR and several water issues.

Expected results

An overview about latest developments in the tools, platforms and potentials in international river basin management;
A clearer understanding of EUSDR’s contribution to environmental protection in Europe and in the Danube macro region;
Greater awareness of this contribution, particularly among policy-makers at EU and international level;
Examples of successful implementation practices

Target audiences

The conference brings together:

Professionals (public authorities, SMEs, other industries, academia)
EU and Member States policy-makers (Commission and Member states)
Stakeholders of the EUSDR (beneficiaries, EC, other funders).

to discuss the achievements and the future of the water issues in the Danube Region in this field.

The Conference will be held in the main building of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences:
1051 Budapest Széchenyi István tér 9. The programme of the conference is attached.

Please send your registration to participate at the event to the following address:
macroregionalwaterdanube@neki.gov.hu

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

DAY 1. Wednesday 11/09/2013

High level session
CHAIR: Balázs Medgyesy Government Commissioner of the EU Danube Strategy

10.00 AM HE József Pálinkás, President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
10.14 AM HE János Martonyi/ HE Sándor Fazekas/ HE Zoltán Illés Hungarian ministers
10.21 AM Normunds Popens, European Commission, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General Regional & Urban Policy
10.28 AM European Commission, Directorate General Environment (tba)
10.35 AM HE Peter Ziga, Environmental Minister of Slovak Republic
Environmental ministers of Romania, Croatia
Wolfgang Klug, Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Public Health

Session 1. The policy context — 11.10-13.00 AM
a) Transboundary cooperation
11.10 AM HE Ermina Salkicevic Dizdarevic, President ICPDR
11.20. AM Vizekanzler a. D. Dr. Erhard Busek IDM Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe – IDM, Austria
11.30 AM Nicholas Bonvoisin, Secretary to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, UNECE

11.40 COFFE BREAK

12.10 AM Peng Qinghui, Assistant to Secretary General, ASEM Water Resources Research and Development Center, China
12.20 AM Marcel Szabó, Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights
12.30 AM Marta Szigeti Bonifert, Executive Director, Regional Environmental Centre

12.40 AM b) Water Framework Directive, Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, Floods Directive: setting the scene

Marianne Wenning, Director European Commission, Water Marine Environment & Chemicals Directorate D,

12.50 AM c) Context of EU water policies and the EUSDR

Péter Kovács, State Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Hungary

13.00-14.10. LUNCH

Session 2. Challenges and integrated measures

14.10.-16.30 PM CHAIR: András Báldi, General Director of the Centre for Ecological Research,
Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Sharing waters, integrated river basin and international watercourse management
(i) Sediment issues and consequences in the Danube river – Józsa J., H. Habersack (BME- BOKU- VUVH)
(ii) The Water Blueprint hydro-economic assessment for European regions (EC JRC- Dr. Ad de Roo)
(iii) Longitudinal continuity for international watercourses – Cr. Sandu, Gúti G. (IAD – MTA Ecological Research)
(iv) Complex and innovative monitoring system for river basins – Kovács Zs. – Török A., (Pannon Egyetem – OKI)
(v) Exchange of experiences on water resources management with transboundary river basins in the world (twinning the experience of the Danube with other macro-regions) – Dr Amadou Lamine NDIAYE, Directeur de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable de l’OMVS-Senegal Senegal River Basin Agency
(vi) Compatibility of environmental requirements and sectoral water needs including navigation, agricultural domestic and industrial water use –R.Mair, I. Liska (ICPDR)
(vii) Transboundary water management in Sava River Basin focusing on sediment and biodiversity issues – M. Bricelj (Sava Commission)

DAY 2. Thursday 12/09/2013

10.00 -11.20 AM CHAIR: Olimpia Negru, Priority Area Coordinator PA5 Romania
(b) Complex flood and drought management
(i) The Hungarian-Ukrainian joint Upper-Tisa flood management development program, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling– Lajos Illés-Zoltán Tóth-János Szabó (VIZITERV Environ Kft-ELCOM Kft)
(ii) Experiences of current flood events
1. Hydro-meteorological antecedents of 2013 flood – Ákos Horváth (HMS) and András Csík (HFC) tbc
2. How science helped the operative flood management? – Prof. János Józsa (BME)
3. Training of flood managers
(iii) The contribution and opportunities of theEU Danube Region Strategy in relation to the Flood and Drought Management – Péter Bakonyi and Olimpia Negru (PA5 coordinators)
(iv) Drought strategy
11.20-11.35 AM COFFE BREAK

11.35-12.35 AM CHAIR: Ana Kobašlić, Priority Area Coordinator PA6 Croatia (tbc)

(c) Drinking water protection in changing climate
(i) CC WaterS: a model for water supply management measures – G. Kuschnig (Vienna Waterworks)
(ii) CC WARE: mitigating vulnerability of water resources in a changing climate – Perger L., Bogárdi I. (NeKI-ELTE)
(d) Sanitation and waste water treatment improvements
(i) Deployment and upgrade of urban waste water treatment in the context of the River Basin Management
(ii) Integrated solutions for waste water treatment in small settlements and rural areas – A. Clement (BMGTE)

12.35.00 -13.35 AM CHAIR: Florian Ballnus, Priority Area Coordinator PA6 Bavaria
(e) Climate adaptation focusing on ecosystem protection and cross cutting issues
(i) Regional climate modelling and coordinated policy responses – Szalai S. (SZIE)
(ii) Integrated rural development focused on water management with impacts on water quality and quantity (VM)
(f) Implementation of economic instruments
(i) Combine objectives of efficiency, fairness and cost recovery – Ungvári G. (Corvinus University)
(ii) Translate ecosystem services into social benefits – Simonffy Z. (BMGTE)

13.35 AM Closing remarks

LUNCH offered