21 October 2015: The Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine agreed to strengthen their cooperation on hazard and crisis management in the Danube Delta, during a workshop of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Danube Delta Project. The three countries plan to work together to protect human health and the Delta’s natural heritage from accidental water pollution.
The workshop took place in Bucharest, Romania, from 20-21 October 2015.
Gratiela Gavrilescu, Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, Romania, stressing the importance of cooperation among the Delta’s riparian countries, said industrial accidents “know no borders” and could lead to catastrophic pollution.
A draft joint contingency plan for the Danube Delta will help countries prepare for and undertake a coordinated response to spills from oil terminals located in the Delta. The Danube is Europe’s second-largest river delta, is home to over 5,000 plant and animal species, and provides drinking water for approximately 20 million people.
The 1992 Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents Convention), has projects for the Delta Danube including technical workshops and field exercises, enabling: the three countries to review their legislation and policies and develop safety guidelines, map hazardous industrial activities in the Delta and draft a joint contingency plan; and authorities and industry to implement safety standards to prevent, prepare for and respond to industrial accidents.
The UNECE Danube Delta Project, under the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention and its Assistance Programme, was formally launched at a high-level meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, in May 2011. Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and others have contributed to the Assistance Programme, while the three project countries and the Czech Republic have provided in-kind expert contributions and resources.
The Industrial Accidents Convention is designed to: protect people and the environment against industrial accidents; and prevent accidents, or reduce their frequency and severity. [UNECE Press Release] [Danube Delta Project Website] [Industrial Accidents Convention]