As of: March 2006

International River Protection

Rivers do not stop at borders. Major rivers and their catchment areas frequently extend across several states. It is therefore essential within these river basin districts that all parties concerned work together. They need to coordinate their measures and uses to permit meaningful protection of these major ecosystems. This is particularly important in the case of Germany’s rivers because Germany, with its central position in Europe, is part of several international river basin districts, especially the Danube, Rhine, Maas, Elbe and Oder.

To make it possible to coordinate the necessary work, international river protection commissions have been set up for the major river basin districts. Some of these, like the commission for the Rhine, go back several decades. Germany is a member of the international commissions for the protection of the Rhine, Mosel and Saar, Maas, Elbe, Oder and Danube. To ensure that coordination also functions between the federal states within Germany, there are also national coordination bodies for the Rhine and Elbe, like the Elbe river basin association.

Work in the international river basin commissions is currently focused on the transposition of the EC Water Framework Directive, but the commissions are also concerned with flood control issues and alarm plans for emergencies.