The Danube is the second longest river in Europe. The blue artery runs through Central and Eastern Europe. But its ecosystem is under threat. How can it be protected?
The ICPDR (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River) has been active for over 20 years. But how does this umbrella organization work to keep Europe’s second-longest river healthy?
Here are edited excerpts from a conversation with the executive secretary of the ICPDR, Ivan Zavadsky.
"The ICPDR the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River Basin is a result of a cooperation of 14 Danube basin countries and the European Union. We, the ICPDR, help them to work in a concerted way for the protection of the Danube. But also for them to get quicker and closer to the legal and institutional framework of the European Union."
"Over the last 20 year,s we were able to reduce the pollution entering the waters of the Danube river basin. The phosphorus was reduced by 50% and nitrogen by 20%. These are measurable results of the joint work of the countries on the reduction of pollution."