Danube Commission hosts the 2nd Stakeholder Workshop on Joint Statement 2.0 Process
The second Stakeholder Workshop for the “Update of the Joint Statement on the Guiding Principles for the Development of Inland Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Danube River Basin (JS 2.0 Process)” was organized by three commissions: International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC), and the Danube Commission (DC), and held at the DC premises in Budapest, on January 30, 2025. The event was held in a hybrid format, with an attendance of over 50 participants.
The initial Joint Statement document was adopted in 2007, and over time has aged, and as a result, stakeholders have identified the need to renew the Joint Statement framework to enhance the effectiveness and impact of the process. The goal of this renewal is to align the framework with the current state of IWT and the river environment, address increasing climate change challenges, and their impacts on navigation and river ecosystems, respond to the need for institutional capacity building, and reflect changes in legal, policy, and project landscape relevant to the process. Three commissions started the JS 2.0 Process in the fall of 2023, and the 2nd workshop is one step in the process of preparation of the new Joint Statement, Joint Statement Manual, and Knowledge database.
During the consultation process with stakeholders, which was held after the 1st Workshop (September 2024), over 70 comments/proposals were addressed, and as a result, a Second draft of the Joint Statement 2.0 was prepared. The objective of the 2nd Stakeholder Workshop was to present/discuss this second draft to the stakeholders. During the workshop, stakeholders had the opportunity to provide their opinions on the new version of the document.
In the coming months, the final version of the document will be prepared, and it is expected to be adopted by three commissions by the end of June 2025. In the meantime, the JS Manual will be prepared, as well as the concept of the Online Knowledge Management System. Finalization of all activities is planned for the second half of August 2025.
The workshop was attended by representatives of IWT and environmental sectors, including the European Union (DG MOVE and DG ENVIRO), EUSDR PA1a Technical Secretariat, WWF, non-governmental organizations, and others.
DC Secretariat is actively participating in all activities related to the realization of the JS 2.0 Process, together with the ICPDR and ISRBC.
During the urgent appeal by the Ukrainian delegation, the participants were informed about the latest environmental disasters that recently occurred, during the ongoing aggression of Russia against Ukraine. Russian tanker sunk with over 4 thousand tons of fuel oil near the Kerch Strait, while another similar tanker, with approximately the same amount of fuel oil, ran over the rocks at the Caucasian shore of the Black Sea, near the Kerch Strait. Both tankers were not intended for maritime shipping but were exploited in conditions of winter stormy weather in the Black Sea. Spilled fuel oil had reached the shores of the Danube Biosphere Reserve. A significant environmental threat to the Danube Delta ecosystem is posed by Russian drone attacks against the port infrastructure in Ukraine, especially the drone attacks on the Port of Kiliia oil depo.