Baltic Danube Strategy Workshop, Budapest, Hungary, 5 April 2011

1. Sub-regional approach and its potential
for the EUSDR implementation
- Case of the Sava river basin -
Dejan Komatina, Ph.D. Civ. Eng.,
Secretary, ISRBC

2. Overview
• Introduction on the Sava River Basin
• Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (FASRB) and
International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC)
• Approach of the ISRBC
• ISRBC and the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)
• Summary
• Contact Information
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 2

3. Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 3

4. Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 4

5. Sava River Basin
– Area: 97 713 km2 (the second largest Danube sub-basin; share: 12%)
– Average flow at the mouth: 1722 m3/s
(the largest Danube tributary; contribution: 25%)
– River length: 940 km (594 km of which is the waterway)
– Population: approx. 8.5 million
Country Share of the Share of the
basin (%) territory (%)
Albania 0.2 0.6
Bosnia & Herzegovina 39.2 75.8
Croatia 26.0 45.2
Montenegro 7.1 49.6
Serbia 15.5 17.4
Slovenia 12.0 52.8
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 5

6. Sava River Basin
• High environmental and social value
– Natural beauty
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7. Sava River Basin
• High environmental and social value
– High biological and landscape diversity
(natural wetlands, parks, protected areas)
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8. Sava River Basin
• High environmental and social value
– Large retention areas
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9. Sava River Basin
• High environmental and social value
– High potential for transport of cargo and passengers
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 9

10. Sava River Basin
• High environmental and social value
– High potential for tourism and recreation
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11. FASRB
• Until 1990’s:
– Sava river used to be the biggest national river
– Integrated management of the Sava water resources
• 1990’s to 2000’s:
– Management of the water resources restricted to the country level
– Integrated approach accepted on European level
• Since 2000’s:
– Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (signed 2002, ratif. 2004)
– International Sava River Basin Commission (est. 2005, Secr. 2006)
– 4 Parties (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia)
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 11

12. FASRB
• From different priorities to Integrated TWRM approach
– Rehabilitation and development of navigation
– Flood protection
– Utilization of potentials for tourism development
– Utilization of potentials for energy production
– Maintenance of water quality and quantity
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13. FASRB
• Key objective:
Transboundary cooperation
for sustainable development of the region
• Particular objectives:
– To establish an international regime of navigation
– To establish sustainable water management
– To prevent/limit hazards (floods, droughts, ice and accidents) and
reduce/eliminate their negative consequences
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14. FASRB
• Implementation coordinated by the ISRBC (BA, HR, RS, SI)
• Fields of work of the ISRBC
– Issues of sustainability:
• Improvement of water quality
• Maintenance of water quantity
• Protection of aquatic ecosystem
• Protection against the harmful effects of water
(due to floods, ice, droughts, accidents)
– Development activities:
• Different kinds of water use
(navigation, hydropower generation, water supply, sewerage,
irrigation and drainage, fishery, tourism and recreation)
• Broadest scope of work among European river commissions
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15. ISRBC
• Coordination of:
– Development of joint / integrated plans for the SRB
• River Basin Management Plan (in accordance with the EU WFD)
• Flood Risk Management Plan (in accordance with the EU Flood Directive)
– Establishment of integrated systems for the SRB
• GIS (in accordance with the INSPIRE Directive and WISE)
• RIS – River Information Services (in accordance with the EU RIS Directive)
• Flood Forecasting and Warning System
• Accident Emergency Warning System (use of the ICDPR’s system)
– Preparation of development programs for the SRB
• Rehabilitation and development of navigation
• Development of (nautical) tourism
All the activities performed through implementation of projects
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16. ISRBC
• Coordination of (cont.):
– Harmonization of regulation (national  EU)
– Creation of additional protocols to the FASRB
• Navigation regime
• Prevention of water pollution caused by navigation
• Flood protection
• Emergency situations
• Sediment management
• Transboundary impacts
• Cooperation / stakeholder involvement / public participation
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17. Example
• Rehabilitation of the Waterway on the Sava River
– Planning phase (studies, design)
– Technical standards (rules harmonized with EU and UNECE regulation)
– Protocol on prevention of water pollution caused by navigation
– Sava RBM Plan Sisak Bosanski Brod Brcko Belgrade
– Climate Adaptation Plan 3.5 – 9.6 million tonnes 5.8 – 15.5 million tonnes 7.8 – 20.8 million tonnes
– Sediment Management
Plan 3-8
million
– Initial phase of the
RIS development
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18. Example
• Rehabilitation of the Waterway on the Sava River
– Joint Statement
(ICPDR, DC, ISRBC, and EC) Cruiser “Victor Hugo”, Sisak, June 2010
– Manual on Integrated
IWT Planning
(EU FP7 PLATINA Project)
– WANDA
(SEE TCP Project)
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19. Added value
• Key features of the approach
– Cohesive, providing conditions for:
• Cooperation of the countries after the conflict
• Implementation of joint, basin-wide projects
• Harmonization of national regulation, methodologies, procedures …
– Integrated (whole basin; sustainability and development)
– Transparent (public participation)
– Aligned with the EU and UNECE regulation
(EU Directives, UNECE Water Convention, ...)
– Subregional (“finer resolution” of results than on a regional scale)
– Pragmatic and practical (offering concrete “products” to the Parties
– joint plans, development programs, protocols, harmonized regulation,
integrated systems)
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20. Added value
• Relevance to EU 2020
– Sustainable growth
• Programs for sustainable development of the region (navigation, tourism)
• Climate change adaptation (two ongoing projects)
• Use of hydropower as a
renewable energy source
– Smart growth
• Involvement of academic
sector
• Establishment of information
systems for the basin
– Inclusive growth
• Fostering contribution of
SMEs to sustainable
development of the region
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21. Added value
• Indicators
– Interest in the ISRBC approach
• South-Eastern Europe
• Mediterranean
• Europe
• Central Asia
– Recognition of the Joint Statement
Process
• EU (e.g. in the European Parliament
resolution on EUSDR)
• Similar processes to be launched in the
fields of hydropower and agriculture
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22. ISRBC and EUSDR
• Main activities during the consultation and drafting process
– Raising awareness that the EUSDR and the FASRB have the identical
main objective – sustainable development of the region they refer to
– Presentation of the ISRBC approach to sustainable development of
the Sava region
– Presentation of the ISRBC priority projects appropriate to be
executed within the implementation of the EUSDR
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23. ISRBC and EUSDR
• Main messages during the consultation and drafting process
– The ISRBC projects are worth to be taken into account,
as they are:
• the projects already agreed upon by the 4 countries
• complementary to other projects proposed by the countries
– The sub-regional level is likely to be the most effective level
from the viewpoint of the EUSDR implementation
– Implementation of the ISRBC projects in the framework of the
EUSDR can yield double benefits – contribution to an effective
implementation of both FASRB and EUSDR
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24. ISRBC and EUSDR
• ISRBC projects included in the EUSDR Action Plan
– Completion and adoption of the Sava RBM Plan PA 4
– Establishment and completion of the Sava GIS PA 4
– Examination of biodiversity and environmental status of
sediment, water and biota in the Sava river basin PA 4
– Preparation and implementation of the water and climate
adaptation plan for the Sava river basin PA 5
– Preparation and implementation of a water pollution contin-
gency management plan for the Sava river basin PA 5
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 24

25. ISRBC and EUSDR
• Other priority projects of the ISRBC
– Rehabilitation and improvement of the Sava river waterway
PA 1
– Support to preparation of the Flood Risk Management Plan
for the Sava river basin PA 5
– Hydrological study for the Sava river basin PA 5
– Support to establishment of the Sava RIS PA 1
– Support to development of nautical tourism in the Sava river
basin PA 3
– Development of the Hydro-meteorological information and
flood forecasting and warning system for the Sava river basin
PA 5
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 25

26. ISRBC and EUSDR
• 3rd Meeting of the Parties
(Brdo near Kranj, Slovenia,
31 May – 1 June 2011)
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27. Summary
• Identical overall objective of the EUSDR and FASRB
• Conformity of the ISRBC approach and its priority projects with
the EUSDR priorities
• High potential for synergy – implementation of the ISRBC
projects within the EUSDR framework can contribute to the
implementation of both EUSDR and FASRB
• The sub-regional level is likely to be the most effective
level from the viewpoint of the EUSDR implementation
QUESTION:
Baltic experience with the implementation on a sub-regional level ?
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 27

28. Contact Information
International Sava River Basin Commission
Vladimira Nazora 61
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
www.savacommission.org
Workshop "WRM aspects of the EU Baltic and Danube strategies", Budapest, 5 Apr 2011 28