Petersberg Process on Transboundary Water Management Sava Round Table in Zagreb (Croatia)

15-17 November 2006 in Zagreb (Croatia)

1. Summary

A round table on multipurpose uses in the transboundary water management of the Sava river in South-Eastern Europe held by the German Federal Environment Ministry in cooperation with the World Bank and the International Sava River Basin Commission took place in Zagreb from 15 to 17 November 2006. The event is the follow-up to the Round Table on the Petersberg Process, which took place in December 2005 in Berlin.

About 50 people attended the meeting in Zagreb. More than half of the participants were sent by South-Eastern European States, the others represented international organisations such as the World Bank, GEF / IW:LEARN, GWP and the EU, which are all active in the region.

The exchange on transboundary water management in South-Eastern Europe will be continued with the goal of further expanding networks that stretch across several countries or catchment areas. For the water management area of the Sava river, this means that cooperation within the region and beyond will be continued and strengthened.

2. In detail

The event was organised to discuss river basin management under the Water Framework Directive, taking into account the issue of competing uses in the Sava catchment area. The agenda of the meeting included the following topics:

• Multipurpose uses & aquatic and environmental ecosystems
• Multipurpose uses & flood mitigation
• Multipurpose uses & navigation
• Multipurpose uses & hydropower

With a turnout of nearly 50 participants (about 30 from the region, mainly from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia), the event can be seen as a success. The main conclusion of the workshop is that adequate management ensures that competing uses in the transboundary water management of the Sava river can produce synergies, thus offering the opportunity to develop a coordinated approach to maximise the benefits in all areas. The framework agreement for the International Sava River Basin that was recently adopted by the riparian states provides the appropriate framework for this purpose.

The participants agreed that the European integration process and the increasing convergence of local and international interests constitute a sound basis to step up efforts in the transboundary management of the Sava river with particular emphasis on competing uses. Water policy in the region is increasingly geared towards the application of EU water legislation and in particular the Water Framework Directive, which provides a common reference framework for the four riparian states. Their cooperation is aimed not only at improving the environmental situation, but also at facilitating economic and social development.

The recommendations discussed at the workshop included:

• On a spatial scale, sustainable water management at the Sava river, in particular with a view to multipurpose uses, has to cover the whole river basin, which has to be managed in an integrated and sustainable way.
• It is a prerequisite for the professional management of the Sava to identify the major driving forces of sustainable development (navigation, hydropower, tourism, agriculture etc.) and to assign priorities, although these may change over time.
• Different levels of use have to be interlinked. Joint plans and programmes of the riparian states should be in line with national legislation and considered in the implementation of land use plans.
• Interest groups and Stakeholder (national institutions, expert groups, the public, …) in the Sava river Basin have to become aware of their responsibilities and should be supported to facilitate better cooperation.
• Ongoing processes for political and economic integration in the region (such as the European integration process) provide valuable models that can be adapted to the situation along the Sava river.

3. Next steps

The states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia would like to continue the political dialogue initiated at the Round Table as well as the scientific exchange on competing uses and the coordination with other donors and institutions in the region. The ultimate goal is not only to enhance and deepen cooperation (especially with the Danube commissions), but also to complete the analysis of the International Sava River Basin with a focus on transboundary multipurpose uses, a realistic assessment of ecosystems and ecosystem services (also with a view to their socioeconomic value) and the integration of sustainable water management into sectoral planning processes.