Hungary Tisza Cooperation. Peter Kovacs, State Secretary for Water, Ministry of Rural Development, Hungary. Furthering water cooperation among nations and stakeholders. Making it happen! International Annual UN-Water Zaragoza Conference 2012/2013. Preparing for the 2013 International Year. Water Cooperation: Making it Happen! 8-10 January 2013

1. Tisza River Basin
transboundary cooperation
Péter Kovács
State secretary for water, Hungary
2013.01.08-10, Zaragoza,Spain

2. HUNGARY
IN THE DANUBE BASIN
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3. Human activities damaged the Tisza River Basin
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1, 4, 5, 6: iStockphoto; 2: redsludge.bm.hu; 3: wikipedia, GFDL

4. Danube River Protection Convention
Legal frame for cooperation to assure protection
of water and ecological resources and
their sustainable use in the Danube River Basin.
Signed: 29 June 1994, Sofia
The main objectives of the Convention:
- sustainable and equitable water management
- conservation and rational use of surface and groundwater
- contol of hazardous substances originating from accidents
- control of floods and ice-hazards
- reduction of pollution loads of Black sea
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5. Stucture of co-operation
ICPDR –
Delegation of Contracting Parties
ICPDR
Secretary
River Basin Pressures and Monitoring and
Management Measures Working Assessment Flood Protection
Working Group Group Working Group Working Group
(Ad Hoc) (Ad hoc) (Ad hoc) Strategic Tisza Expert
Information and Public Relation EG EG Group
GIS EG
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6. • Assets
– The Tisza River Basin
• one of the most picturesque regions in Europe
• blessed with rich biodiversity
• it has unique freshwater ecosystems
• percentage in the Danube River Basin is 19.5%
• Problems to solve
– Human influenced the region during recent centuries
contributing to problems due to
• Farming, forestry
• Mining
• River engineering
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7. • Initiating cooperation in Tisza sub-basin scale
– In the frame of the 7th Ordinary Meeting of the
ICPDR (2004) counties adopted and signed the
Tisza Memorandum of Understanding to
• Develop the Tisza Analysis Report as a first step
• Prepare the Integrated Tisza River Basin
Management Plan
• Implement the Program of Measures
– In 2011 MoU renewed has been strengthened
(Tisza Ministerial Meeting, 11 April 2011,
Uzhgorod, Ukraine)
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8. • Main pillars of the cooperation
– The framework of the work is the ICPDR, the cooperation
facilitated via ICPDR Secretariat
– Work has been supported by all relevant ICPDR Expert
Groups
– Significant financing sources from
• Countries of the Tisza River Basin (Ukraine, Romania,
Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia)
• European Commission
• UNDP
• GEF
• UNEP Carpathian Convention
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9. What has been done 2004-2012
– ICPDR Tisza Group has been established within
the framework of the ICPDR in 2004
– Experts delegated to the ICPDR Tisza Group from
all countries of the Tisza River Basin + observers
– ICPDR Tisza Group (within the framework of the
ICPDR) developed the Tisza Analysis Report
(2007) and Integrated Tisza River Basin
Management Plan (2010)
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10. Overview of the main achievements of ICPDR Tisza Group
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11. Challenges to be addressed in the TRB
• Water quality related pressures
• Water quantity related pressures
• Integration of water quality and quantity in the TRB
• Implementation of the Tisza Program of
Measures(2011 – ongoing)
Mello/ICPDR
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12. Pressures – water quality
Nutrient Organic Hazardous Hydro-
Pollution Pollution Substances morphological
Pollution Alterations
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13. Pressures – water quantity
Floods Droughts Climate change
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14. Measures to be addressed
• Identify measures to reduce impacts from pressures
(nutrient-, organic-, hazardous substance -
pollution, engineering work)
• Identify measures with positive impact on both water quality
and quantity
…. to reach good water status by 2015
alexei iarochevitch
alexei iarochevitch
diana heilmann
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15. Implementation
 Implementation of the ITRBM Plan will be done in national level
 ICPDR Tisza Group will follow up on and monitor
implementation of Tisza PoM and will report about the process in
the 2012 report and will summarize achievements in the 2nd
TRBM Plan in 2015
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16. Ongoing activities
Relevant project: EU Grant DRBMP-2012
• Development of the Tisza case study on agriculture
and water management as well as
• Development of the Tisza case study on climate
change adaptation
Agenda Item: 7.2 16

17. Other relevant activities
• Further development of Communication Strategy for
Integrated Water Management in the Tisza River Basin
• US "IGERT" Program in Watershed Science & Policy:
2013 Research Partnership in the Tisza River Basin
• Cooperation with UNEP Carpathian Convention
Agenda Item: 7.2 17

18. • Work still need to be done
– The next step is to implement the Joint Tisza Programme
of Measures to reach good status of the waters of the
Tisza River Basin supporting the sustainable development
of the region
• Challenges
– Integrating water quality and quantity in land and water
planning will be essential. To achieve this success in the
Tisza River Basin, countries must work together and with
all other partners
– Countries have committed themselves for the
continuation of the work, but future financial basis still
need to be secured 18

19. • Lessons learnt
– The Tisza River Basin is a good example of coordinated
successful co-financing, bringing together diverse countries
for commonly agreed goals
– The described Tisza activities also exemplify how the
benefits of financial funds can be maximized having high
level commitments as a basis of the transboundary work
• Replication potential
– Danube Delta sub basin
– Prut River Basin
– Other sub basins (?)
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20. Thank you for your kind attention !
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