Danube Commission

The Danube Commission is an international intergovernmental organization established by the Convention regarding the regime of navigation on the Danube signed in Belgrade on 18 August 1948.

The main objectives of the Danube Commission’s activity are to provide and develop free navigation on the Danube for the commercial vessels flying the flag of all states in accordance with interests and sovereign rights of the Member States of the Belgrade Convention, as well as to strengthen and develop economic and cultural relations of the said states among themselves and with the other countries.

The Member States of the Danube Commission are: the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Bulgaria, Hungary, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Republic of Serbia, the Slovak Republic, Ukraine and the Republic of Croatia.

Since 1954 the Commission has its seat at Budapest.  The official languages of the Danube Commission are German, Russian and French.

The Danube Commission in its work rests upon wide historical experience of navigation control on the international rivers of Europe and the best practice of the international river commissions, including the European Danube Commission established under the Paris Peace Treaty of 1856.

The Danube Commission’s outlook is connected with the creation of the unified navigation system of inland waterways in Europe. With due consideration of the before mentioned, the priority areas of the Commission’s activity are focused on unifying and providing mutual recognition of the basic regulatory documents, required for the navigation on the Danube and on the other sections of the unified navigation system, contributing to the improvement of navigation conditions and safety of navigation, creating requirements for the Danube integration into the European system as the significant transport corridor.

With a view to ensuring the said integration the Commission actively cooperates with the relevant international bodies, involved in different aspects of inland waterway transport, such as United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Central Commission for the Navigation of Rhine, European Commission and etc.

With the aim of enhancing the role of the Danube Commission in the international cooperation in the field of inland navigation, the Member-States of the Belgrade Convention intend to modernize Commission, by vesting additional powers in it and new functions, as well as to enlarge the circle of its members. It will become feasible when the ongoing process of the revision of the Convention will come to an end. Presently, France, Turkey and European Community declare determination to become members of the modernized Danube Commission.