At the second meeting on the implementation of the Joint Statement on guiding principles for the development of the inland navigation and environmental protection in the Danube basin, today in Zagreb has been established the basis for the consideration of the projects of development of the inland navigation on the Danube and Sava.
Also, the high officials of the International Commission for the Sava River Basin and to protect the river Danube, the Danube Commission, the European Commission, representatives of state bodies and public institutions in the Danube basin and non-governmental organizations are considered the final draft text of the Manual on integrated planning of the projects in the area of inland waterways transport ways.
They also disscused about the development of the waterways in Europe and the implementation of the joint statement.
Secretary General of the International Commission for the Sava River Basin Dejan Komatina said that they discussed the project development strategy for the
Danube, one of which parts Croatia from Serbia, for which there is already established technical cooperation between this two countries.
Chairman of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube Mitja Bricelj said that he participated in the opening of a new chapter related to navigation, environmental protection and regional development in the countries in the Danube basin, in order to achieve concrete and comprehensive solutions that improve quality of life of all communities in the basin of the river.
Coordinator of the European Commission for the Inland Waters Karla Peijs said that the intention is to achieve the goal in the early stages of planning the projects, and to reconcile the inland navigation and environmental protection, and include environmental needs in order to avoid repeated mistakes made in Western Europe.
Counselor in Danube Commission Horst Schindler recalled that the Danube is navigable to a greater length of 2400 kilometers and is faced with several "bottlenecks". He said that the intention is to improve navigation on the Danube, which is associated with hidro-engineer works of the affecting the ecology. He said that he also supports the process of Joint Statement from the 2008th year because he believes that there are no big differences between the ecology and navigation.
Joint Statement on Guiding Principles on the Development of Inland Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Danube Basin was made on March 11th 2008, as a result of an interdisciplinary process that led to the protection of the river Danube and the Sava River basin by the International Commission and the Danube Commission.
Statement was prompted by a desire to be in a wide range of stakeholders related to trade and environmental protection work together to improve the conditions of navigation in the Danube basin, in order to establish sustainable development and corporate social responsibility activities.