1. Dr. Ursula Schmedtje Secretariat of the ICPDR1
Harmonisation of ecological classification and intercalibration in large international river basins – the Danube
Dr. Ursula Schmedtje Secretariat of the ICPDR

2. 2
Danube River Protection Convention a legal frame for co-operation to assure the protection of water and ecological resources and their sustainable use in the Danube River Basin
International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)
has been established to implement the objectives and provisions and to achieve the goals of the Danube River Protection Convention
Was signed 1994 and came into force in October 1998
The main objective of the Convention is the protection and sustainable use of ground and surface waters and riverine ecology, directed at basin-wide and sub-basin-wide cooperation with transboundary relevance.

3. Joint Action Programme3
Joint Action Programme
RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT
Emission inventory and pollution reduction
Restoration of wetlands and flood plains
Transnational Monitoring Network (TNMN) and extended water quality standards
Priority substances / recommendations on BAT & BEP
Accident warning system (AEWS) and prevention
Flood control and sustainable flood prevention
Domestic and basin wide water balance

4. Organisational Structure under the Danube River Protection Convention
International Commission for the Protection
of the Danube River (ICPDR)
– Implementation of Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC)
– Decision making, management and coordination of regional cooperation
– Approval of the budget and annual work programme
– Follow up of activities and evaluation of results from Expert Groups
– Joint Action Programme
Permanent Secretariat (PS)
– Supporting the ICPDR sessions
– Supporting the Expert Groups
– Coordinating the work programme
– Supporting project development and implementation
– Maintenance of the Information System
River Basin Management
( RBM EG )
– Integrated river basin management
– Implementation of EU Water Framework Directive
Ecology
( ECO EG )
– Habitats and species protection areas
– Management of wetlands and floodplains
Emissions
( EMIS EG )
– Emissions from point sources
– Emissions from diffuse sources
– Guidelines on BAT
Monitoring, Laboratory
and Information Mgmt
( MLIM EG )
– Trans-National Monitoring Network
– Laboratory Quality Assurance
Accident Prevention
and Control
( APC EG )
– Accidental pollution incidents
– AEWS operation
– Accident prevention
Flood Protection
( FLOOD EG )
– Preparation and imple-mentation of Action Plan for sustainable flood protection
UNDP/GEF
Danube Regional Project
– Creation of sustainable ecological condi-tions for land use and water mngmt
– Capacity building and reinforcement of trans-boundary cooperation
– Strengthening public involvement in environmental decision making
– Reinforcement of monitoring, evaluation and Information System
UNESCO/IHP
Water Balance WG
– Preparation of Water Balance
Standing Working Group (StWG)
– Coordinating the work of the ICPDR
– Guiding activities of the Expert Groups
– Preparing policies and strategic issues of the ICPDR (work programme, TORs, etc.)

5. Danube River Protection Convention
Regarding monitoring programmes, Contracting Parties shall
harmonise or make comparable their monitoring and assessment methods, in particular in the field of river quality
develop concerted or joint monitoring systems, communication and data processing facilities
elaborate and implement joint programmes for monitoring the riverine conditions concerning water quantity and quality, sediments and riverine ecosystems

6. The Danube River Basin, a cultural and historical centre of Europe

8. Countries in the Danube River Basin8
Countries in the Danube River Basin
ICPDR
Germany Croatia Small territories*:
Austria Yugoslavia Switzerland
Czech Republic Bulgaria Italy
Slovak Republic Romania Poland
Hungary Moldova Albania
Slovenia Ukraine Macedonia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
*areas less than 2000 km²
Dr. Ursula Schmedtje

9. 3rd Plenary Session of the ICPDR - November 2000 -10
3rd Plenary Session of the ICPDR - November
“The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive is considered having the highest priority for the ICPDR.
The ICPDR will provide the platform for the coordination necessary to develop and establish the River Basin Management Plan for the Danube River Basin.
The Contracting Parties ensure to make all efforts to arrive at a coordinated international River Basin Management Plan for the Danube River Basin.”
WFD calls for river basin approach - look at sub-basins!

10. Coordination Mechanisms in the DRB11
Coordination Mechanisms in the DRB CH IT DE UA AT
Bilateral agreements (examples)
cooperation
M D CZ PL
ICPDR
RBM EG SK
platform for coordination
information exchange
develops strategy for producing the RBM Plan
harmonisation of methods and mechanisms RO HU BG
cooperation SI
S- M
M K BA HR AL
Dr. Ursula Schmedtje

11. Development of the Danube RBM Plan - preparation phase12
Development of the Danube RBM Plan - preparation phase
European Commission
Common Implementation Strategy
Guidance documents
ICPDR RBM EG
Strategy for development of RBM Plan
Work Plan
Issue papers on special DRB topics
roof report incl. transboundary issues
public participation
RBM Drafting Groups
ECON ESG
Economic analysis
Danube GIS & mapping criteria
GIS ESG
typology of surface water bodies
definition of reference conditions
ecological classification
MLIM EG
significant pressures on surface waters
effects from human activities on GW
EMIS EG
ECO EG
register of protected areas (species)
Dr. Ursula Schmedtje

12. Transnational Monitoring Network13
Transnational Monitoring Network
Activities to make TNMN operational
Selection of monitoring sites (61 locations, with 93 sampling points)
Selection of water quality determinands
Harmonisation of methods for sampling and analysis
Introduction of external control of laboratories
Introduction of joint format for data exchange
Administration of a Central database of TNMN data
Publishing of Danube Yearbook
Preparation of water quality classification
Agreement to use the Saprobic System for biological water quality assessment
This already shows the great need for co-ordination, especially in such a complex basin as the Danube.
Therefore, I would like to present some of the ideas that are currently being developed by the River Basin Management Expert Group of the ICPDR

13. Monitoring sites of TNMN

14. Development of TNMN 1996 Start of monitoring in the frame of TNMN 1998
Start of monitoring of sediments
Start of data collection from Ukraine and Moldava
2000
Start of load assessment programme
2001
Start of data collection from Serbia-Montenegro
2002
Start of adapting TNMN to the requirements of the WFD

15. Biological Elements for the Classification of the Ecological Status16
Biological Elements for the Classification of the Ecological Status
Dr. Ursula Schmedtje

16. Preparatory steps taken17
Preparatory steps taken
Establishment of homogenous data set
Joint Danube Survey and Joint Tisza Survey
investigating phytoplankton, zooplankton, phytobenthos, macrophytes and macrozoobenthos along the Danube from Regensburg to the Danube Delta – August/September 2001
Harmonisation of methods
Issue paper developed on typology and definition of reference conditions – recommendation to use System B
1st Workshop on Typology, Ecological Classification and Definition of Reference Conditions in the DRB – Bucharest, February 2002
Nomination of national experts for development of typology and harmonisation on Danube basin-wide level
This already shows the great need for co-ordination, especially in such a complex basin as the Danube.
Therefore, I would like to present some of the ideas that are currently being developed by the River Basin Management Expert Group of the ICPDR

17. funded by the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project18
Current activities
funded by the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project
Typology for the Danube River
analyse data of Joint Danube Survey
develop proposal combining the top-down and bottom-up approach
Biological classification methods
overview of methods in use in the Danube river basin
2nd Workshop on Typology and Ecological Classification
present typologies of Danube countries and assess need for harmonisation
agree on typology for Danube river
assess needs for developing ecological classification methods
September 2003
This already shows the great need for co-ordination, especially in such a complex basin as the Danube.
Therefore, I would like to present some of the ideas that are currently being developed by the River Basin Management Expert Group of the ICPDR

18. 19
Ecological quality assessment revolutionary approach? the only way forward? or impossible to implement?
This already shows the great need for co-ordination, especially in such a complex basin as the Danube.
Therefore, I would like to present some of the ideas that are currently being developed by the River Basin Management Expert Group of the ICPDR

19. Ecological quality assessment of the EU-WFD20
Ecological quality assessment of the EU-WFD
very ambitious - scientifically challenging - great difficulty to meet deadlines - classification methods will take more time to develop - data bases insufficient in many countries
This already shows the great need for co-ordination, especially in such a complex basin as the Danube.
Therefore, I would like to present some of the ideas that are currently being developed by the River Basin Management Expert Group of the ICPDR
pragmatic approach needed making use of existing classification systems

20. Thank you for your attention.21
Thank you for your attention.
There will still be a lot of water down the Danube before the RBM Plan is achieved, but I am confident that with joint effort we will be able to succeed.
with steady pace and coordinated steps we will be able to achieve the goal.