NON PAPER
EU STRATEGY FOR THE DANUBE REGION
Priorities and Contribution
of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Danube Region
European Union Strategy for the Danube Region – EUSDR
Relying on its successful and proven approach to macro-regional strategies in the
European Union, during the meeting in June 2009, European Council mobilized
European Commission to develop the EU Strategy for the Danube Region by the end of
2010, with the expected beginning of its implementation in the first half of 2011.
The fact that the EU Strategy for the Danube Region is not only exclusive to EU
membership, but encompassing all Countries represented in Danube Co-operation
Process, gives an enormous opportunity to the Region as a whole. This new partnership
will be particularly efficient in the Western Balkan, where the political, economic,
cultural, ecological and other potentials of Danube area are far from being fully met.
Considering geography, heritage, economy and culture, the Danube basin represents both
the historical link and the main doorway for European future of Western Balkan States.
Therefore, EU Strategy for the Danube Region is an invaluable instrument for Bosnia and
Herzegovina in fulfilling its main geopolitical priority.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Danube Region
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an integral part of the Danube basin through the river
Sava (the 945 km long main tributary of Danube River), fully supports the EU Strategy
for the Danube Region and is a firm believer that this coordinated effort between the
countries and other stakeholders of the Region can contribute to sustainable development,
not only for this part of Europe, but for the Continent as a whole.
Improving connectivity and communication systems, preserving environment and
prevention against natural risks, and reinforcing the potential for socio-economical
development, the so-called “three pillars” of the early stage of Implementation of the EU
Strategy for the Danube Region, fully coincide with the strategic priorities of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a natural geographical and historical link between Danube
Region via Pannonian plain and the Mediterranean Region via Adriatic Sea. This is both
an opportunity and the challenge for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which if properly
exploited can contribute the further development of the Danube macro-region,
reinforcing the communication and trade in particular.
Priorities and Contributions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Priorities and Contributions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU Strategy for
Danube Region are those projects, which are of high importance for sustainable
development of the Sava River Basin. Those are generally oriented toward the
environment protection, natural risk prevention, socio-economical development, and
improvement of the connectivity and communication systems in the region.
The following Projects are considered of High Importance by the International Sava
River Basin Commission;
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Development of the Sava River Basin Management Plan With the Signing
of the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin, the representatives of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia have proved their
commitment to develop a Common Sava River Basin Management Plan (Sava
RBM Plan). The development of this Plan is one of the main tasks of the
International Sava River Basin Commission. Activities on the Implementation
of the Plan have began in 2006. The first phase in the Plan development - the
preparation of the Sava River Basin Analysis has been successfully finalized.
The Analysis and the commitment of the parties involved has received a
positive reception by the European Commission, which resulted in the
decision by the EC to support the remaining steps in developing the first Sava
RBM Plan by the end of 2011. Planned period for the implementation of the
Project is December 2009 – December 2011. The main goal of the Project is
the preservation of the environment and prevention against natural risks.
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Establishment of the Sava GIS
As a part of the obligation resulting from
the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (FASRB), an analysis on
GIS capabilities and current and future needs of the Parties has been
performed in 2007. As the Next step, the Sava GIS Strategy has been prepared
and adopted by the International Sava River Basin Commission (SRBC) in
2008. The main object of the Strategy is to establish an effective and efficient
(geo)information system and spatial data infrastructure to support a wide
range of water management planning activities of the ISRBC. The Sava GIS
aims to provide good communication channels to the Parties of the FASRB
primarily, for sharing and disseminating knowledge about water resources, an
effective and efficient river basin management and planning in the Sava River
Basin. A second major goal is to create a technical context and establishment
of environment in which Parties will be able to work in accordance with the
open and interoperable principles and criteria. The Establishment of the Sava
GeoPortal is a basis for permanent and effective data and information
exchange between the Parties to the FASRB in the Future. The Sava
GeoPortal will be maintained under the supervision of the ISRBC. The
implementation period for the Project is from December 2009 – December
2013.
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Hydrological Study for the Sava River Basin The ISRBC initiated the
activities in preparation of the Hydrological Study for the Sava River Basin by
developing the Hydrology Report. It has been prepared for the purpose of the
Sava River Basin Analysis. It provides very good overview of the current state
of the meteorological and hydrological issues at the Sava River Basin level.
The Hydrological Study will, due to its fundamental character, provide an
essential input for all parties of importance for the FASRB implementation.
Therefore, development of this Study was supported by high representatives
of the countries, at the 2nd Meeting of the Parties to the FASRB (1, June
2009), by mentioning the Study explicitly in the Declaration from the
Meeting. The Hydrological Study will address all meteorological and
hydrological elements relevant for integrated water management in the Sava
River Basin, based on mutually agreed methodology and period of analysis. It
will provide a reliable and measurable basis for all decision and
recommendations related to sustainable water resources management. The
result of the common hydrology study will be directly used by other projects
dealing with water management (e.g. Sava RBM Plan, PoM, Flood Risk
Management Plan, Contingency Plan, etc.) The implementation period is 30
months.
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Flood Mapping Study for the Sava River The International Sava River
Basin Commission (ISRBC), with its Permanent Expert Group for Flood
Protection (PEG FP) as the leading body, coordinates activities in the field of
flood management. Within this framework, the PEG FP identified a need to
develop a single hydraulic model of the Sava River and, in time, the major
tributaries having the basin area greater than 1000 km2. The hydraulic model,
to be prepared through cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineer
(USACE), will be used for flood mapping, supporting the flood forecast
system, and for the purpose of development of future flood protection
projects.
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Building the link between Flood Risk Management planning and climate
change assessment in the Sava River Basin Under the UNECE Water
Convention, the Sava River Basin was chosen as one of the three pilot projects
on climate change adaptation, upon proposal of the ISRBC, the other two
being Chu Talas and Dniester. Considering the significant activities directly
related to climate change are ongoing in the Sava River Basin (i.e. the project
Water Climate Adaptation Plan for the Sava River Basin - WATCAP), this
Project aims to build the link between flood risk management planning and
climate change assessment in the Sava River Basin. The result of the project
will be incorporated into the Flood Protection Management Plan.
Developmnet of the Flood Protection Management Plan is one of the main
objectives of the FASRB and Protocol on Flood Protection to the FASRB,
which was signed by the parties on June 1, 2010. The main concern of this
Project is the preservation of the environment and prevention against natural
risk. The implementation period is set between June 2010 and the autumn
2012.
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Water and Climate Adaptation Plan for the Sava River Basin According
to the last findings on climate change, the Sava River Basin is predicted to
experience higher temperatures and more seere precipitation events and
droughts. These changes will impact water resources management, water
supply, hydropower, agriculture, navigation and flood control. To fill the
knowledge gap on the impact of climate change on water sector and to inform
decision making sector how to increase the climate resilience of the critical
water management, the World Bank has initiated the Project Water and
Climate Adaptation Plan for the Sava River Basin. The Project is developing
in parallel with the Sava RBM Plan. The result will be directly incorporated in
to the Sava RBM Plan and other projects and programs (e.g. PoM). The
implementation period is set between June, 2009 – mid 2011.
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Development of the Hydrometeorological Information and Flood
Forecasting and Warning System for the Sava River Basin The project
preparation has been initiated by the national hydro-meteorological services
from the Sava River Basin countries, based on understanding that an adequate
hydrological information, as well as the flood prediction and warning system,
are a prerequisite for an integrated water resources management and flood risk
management in the basin. The Project will focus on establishment of the
common hydro-meteorological information and flood forecasting/warning
system and capacity building of national authorities dealing with water
management issues through improvement of information management,
hydrological forecasting and flood warning capabilities. The System will also
be incorporated in the existing system of civil defense. The implementation
period is between June, 2011 and May, 2013.
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Water Pollution Contingency Management Plan for the Sava River Basin
The Project is dealing with the water pollution contingency management to
connect the institutions involved in water management and those involved in
the emergency preparedness and response management. The project is aimed
at efficient provision of measures in the case of accidental spills of substances
which might affect the use of water for different purposes (drinking water,
irrigation, industry, navigation etc.), as well as the quality of rivers and
aquatic eco-system. For the purpose of efficient and effective management,
the modeling and information exchange platform will be developed by which
all responsible authorities and institutions will be alerted by eventual spill of
harmful substances, follow the development of the situation and coordinate a
concerted response to it. The project aims at the establishment of the efficient
system for early warning system in case of emergency situation affecting the
water regime and aquatic eco-system. The implementation period will depend
upon the availability of funds.
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Biodiversity and Environment Status of Sediment, Water and Biota in the
Sava River Basin The Project will be focused mainly onto the integration of
EU directives, such as the EU WFD, Habitat Directive, Bathing Directive,
with the FASRB. A comparable dataset on environment status on the Sava
River and its selected tributaries will be developed and sampling procedure
and methodological approaches for hydro-morphological, physical-chemical,
chemical, eco-toxicological and biological analysis of water, sediment and
biota will be harmonized on transboundary scale. The system for efficient data
exchange will be established and know-how transfer between project partners
and other relevant institutions in the Sava River Basin will be provided. The
ecological status of the Sava River Basin will be evaluated on the base of the
data collected. Outcomes of the project will serve as the basis for application
of the EU directives and sustainable water management activities which are
crucial for development and implementation of the Sava River Management
Plan, as well as the management of natural assets and protected areas. The
results of the project will be incorporated into the PoM and into the next circle
of development of the SRBMP. Period for implementation of the project is set
within the frame of the next cycle of development of the Sava River Basin
Management Plan (2011 – 2014).
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Development of the Nautical Tourism in the Sava River Basin The Main
purposes of this Project are to investigate development possibilities for the
nautical tourism in the Sava River Basin, to recommend the strategy and
programs and to provide an appropriate economic and organizational
framework for the development of the nautical tourism in the Sava River
Basin. The object is to reinforce the potential for socio-economical
development. The implementation period for the Project is 12 months.
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Rehabilitation and Development of Transport and Navigation on the
Sava River Waterway The Sava River is navigable through 594 km of its
river course and links the economies of four countries. The existence of port
infrastructure on the Sava itself and the connection of the Sava with the
Danube, provides great advantages for intensifying further development of the
river transport. Despite of such natural advantages the Sava River Waterway
has been neglected for the last fifteen years, and its current state-of-condition
is bad due to many external and internal factors. During this period the
economical development has mainly slowed down and the maintenance of the
Sava River Waterway was on a low level. In addition, due to the decrease of
the industrial production and the economic problems the transport on the Sava
River, similar to the other types of transport, is on a low level and suffers
serious lack of financial sources and maintenance. Although transport
volumes in the past were higher than at present, the full potentials of the
waterway transport were not adequately used in the past. This can be
illustrated by the fact that waterway transport in EU countries has risen for
12% during the period of 1970-1998, while waterway transport in the
countries of Central and Eastern Europe has declined for 20% during the
period of 1990-1998. The main objective of the Project is rehabilitation and
development of the Save River waterway infrastructure and provision of an
appropriate economic and organizational framework for restoring trade and
navigation on the Sava. The implementation period is five to six years.
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Establishment of the Sava River Information Service (RIS)
The Sava is
presently largely underused, river transport being limited to scarce traffic on
small river sections. The ISRBC has undertaken a number of activities to
improve navigation on the Sava river, including the preparation of
Prefeasibility Study and Feasibility Study for development and rehabilitation
of navigation on the Sava river, Detailed design and prototype installation fro
RIS on the Sava river, adoption of several very important regulations related
to technical issues and safety of navigation, preparation of Detailed design for
the marking of the Sava river on the B&H marking section, and restoration of
waterway marking system. Logical step forward is implementation of a new
technology – River Information Services – which will dramatically improve
safety on inland waterway navigation on the Sava River. The aim of the
Project is harmonized implementation of the RIS on the Sava River inline
with already undertaken measures by Serbia and Croatia on the Danube, as
well as with requirements of the EU RIS Directive. Development of RIS on
the Sava River shall improve safety, efficiency, and environmental concerns.
The approximate implementation period is three years.
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Establishment of the system for collection, treatment, and disposal of
hazardous and other ship waste on the Sava River The currently not used
capacity potential that the Sava offers for future transport solutions is a great
challenge for inland navigation, in particular as it is considered at present the
most environmentally friendly transport mode. On the Sava River, compared
to 2008, the transport volume for inland navigation is expected to significantly
increase until 2015. As a result of these challenges inland navigation will face
the need for the prevention of environmental risks related to the increase of
ship waste. As ship waste management in practice shows partly significant
differences in the Sava riparian countries, a substantial solution requires to
solve existing lacks of adequate ship waste management in transnational
cooperation along the Sava River. The implementation period for the project
is five years.
THE PROJECT CORRIDOR VC
European traffic route on the Pan-European corridor V, from Baltic to Adriatic Sea,
stretches from the north of Europe, through Hungary, on south towards Adriatic Sea and
it finishes in Croatian port Ploče. Its branch Vc stretches from Budapest via eastern
Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and finishes in Port Ploče, Croatia. Route of this
motorway is a part of European road network marked E73 and it represents the basis of
road traffic infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Existing quality of this motorway
corridor branch does not meet the modern standards and needs. Completion of the
Corridor Vc will dramatically improve the link between the Central Europe and the
Adriatic Sea, which is of the crucial importance for the economical, cultural, and social
development of the Region and of great importance for Europe as a whole. Currently, the
part of the motorway connecting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital Sarajevo and Zenica,
an industrial city in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, is under construction. The
implementation period for the completion of the Project depends largely on the available
funds.
OTHER
PRIORITIES
AND
AREAS
OF
BOSNA
AND
HERZEGOVINA’S
COOPERATION

Energy development in the Region requires a strong strategic
planning on national and regional level. Increasing the potential of
the energy supplies multiplied by the use of renewable sources of
energy like the sun, wind, biomass etc. guarantees a sustainable
regional development and environmental protection.

The Sava River Basin and the Danube Region offers tremendous
potential for the development of all kinds of tourism (sport
fishing, eco-tourism, excursions, and hunting, to name athe
few). The infrastructure, logistical support and protection of areas
of natural and cultural heritage must be significantly improved and
developed in order to satisfy the potentials this area has to offer.
Joint regional cooperation is necessary to create an environment in
which these goals can be met as soon as possible.

The small and medium enterprises are the backbone of any
healthy national and regional economy. The Sava River Basin has
a great potential for the development and intensification of these
particular business communities. In order to improve this sector of
industry further environment friendly infrastructural and support
development is necessary, as well as proper utilization and
protection of agricultural potential, and modernization and
preservation of freshwater fisheries.

Culture, Sport, and education are an area where the regional
cooperation is sine qua non for any further development. Joint
cultural, sporting and educational gatherings and project, with the
special emphasis on youth, can be a great contributor in
improvement of inter-ethnic relations, peace, tolerance, and social
prosperity in general.

Ever since the end of the war in former Yugoslavia, clearing the
mine-suspected areas is one of the most difficult and important
challenges the Region is faced with. The agriculture in the Sava
River Basin area, canal and embankment network on the Sava
River, areas adjacent to transport infrastructure, borderline areas,
etc. are all affected by landmines and the negative economical,
social, environmental and cultural impact is clearly evident.
Regional de-mining is a long and arduous task, which requires
carefully designed strategy on the Regional and macro-regional
level.

EU Strategy for the Danube Region is an invaluable instrument for
Bosnia and Herzegovina in fulfilling its main geopolitical priority Euro-Atlantic integration process and strengthening regional
cooperation. Bosnia and Herzegovina places high hopes in
political aspect of the Strategy where further assistance is required
to coordinate the efforts in the process of EU accessions for
candidate and potential candidate countries.
Conclusion
The close cooperation between EU and non-EU Member States gives Danube Strategy a
specific role in the process of strengthening, two decades ago, virtually nonexistent
regional economic relations. Such practices can only further economic development and
secure the position of the Danube Basin as the Continent’s political, geographical,
historical, cultural and economical epicenter.
The development of road, rail, inland waterway and inter-modal transport infrastructure
for the purpose of safer and faster transportation of goods and people is a top priority for
the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Improvement in that particular area can be
regarded as a definite sign of prosperity, and it is clearly one of the top priorities of the
EU Strategy for the Danube Region itself.
Any environmental challenge, when discussing Danube River and the Region as a whole,
has to be dealt with as a joint venture. It should be a carefully designed pan-European
project, aimed at preventing inter-border and trans-border pollution, climate change and
any other natural risks. This are the critical times, and it will be upon our generation to
decide wheatear the great waltz “The Beautiful Blue Danube” by Jochan Strauss II will
be an ode to the glorious blue Danube or just an epitaph of a dead river.