Visit of students from the National University of Public Service (Budapest)

On 3 November, 2021, the Secretariat of the Danube Commission hosted a study visit of students from the National University of Public Service (Budapest) as part of the Master program on International Water Governance and Water Diplomacy. A group of students attending the course entitled “Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Danube Basin” was received by the Secretariat´s management and, together with some officers of the Secretariat, the following topics were discussed:

• General activity, structure, responsibilities, tasks of the Danube Commission,
• Joint Statement on Development of Inland Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Danube River Basin,
• Development of ports in the Danube River Basin,
• Danube Commission’s participation in the HORIZON 2020 – PLATINA 3 project.

During the interactive discussions, the issues of interest were considered, such as the development of navigation, fairway maintenance, cross-border cooperation, zero pollution solutions, use of tributaries of the Danube by small vessels, the perspectives of the IWT industry, etc.

Dr. Dejan Komatina, supervisor of the student group, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to gain an insight into the activities of DC and to talk directly to the experts of the organization.

In conclusion, Manfred Seitz, Director-General of the Secretariat, emphasized the importance of building networks with educational institutions to share knowledge and experience in the field of international navigation. In this context, he reiterated the Commission’s interest in hosting student visits in the future.