The document discusses international river basin management and cooperation between riparian states. It provides examples of two major international river basin commissions - the Danube River Basin Commission and Rhine River Basin Commission. The commissions were established through bilateral or multilateral agreements between states per Article 9 of the UNECE Water Convention. They work to facilitate cooperation on issues like water quality, quantity, and flood protection in transboundary basins.

1. 1
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Werner Wahliss
Translating the UNECE Water Convention
into Practise:
Concluding Agreements and
Establishing Joint Bodies
2nd
African Regional Targeted Workshop
For GEF IW Projects & Partners
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 12 – 14 Nov 2012

2. 2
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Article 9 of the UNECE Water Convention:
The riparian parties shall enter into bilateral or multilateral agreements
or other arrangements … for the establishment of joint bodies.

3. 3
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Two International River Basin Commissions
Danube River Basin
The most international
in the world
18 countries
 81 million inhabitants
 801.463 km2
area
 10 % of EU area
 2.780 km river length
Danube River Basin
The most international
in the world
18 countries
 81 million inhabitants
 801.463 km2
area
 10 % of EU area
 2.780 km river length
Rhine River Basin
9 countries sharing
 58 million inhabitants
 200.000 km2
area
 825 km navigable
Drinking water resource
for 30 million people
Rhine River Basin
9 countries sharing
 58 million inhabitants
 200.000 km2
area
 825 km navigable
Drinking water resource
for 30 million people
European
river basins
Red: international
Green: national

4. 4
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
International Commission for the
protection of the Rhine
Foundation 1950
6 ICPR - Parties:
- Germany
- France
- Luxemburg
- Netherlands
- Switzerland (non EU)
- European Union
Since 2001 co-operation under the
EU Water Framework Directive with:
- Austria
- Belgium (Wallonia)
- Fürstentum Liechtenstein (non EU)
ICPR

5. 5
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Folie: 5
ICPR – Organisation
Ministerial Conferences

6. 6
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Legal Basis, Competences and Capacities
International River Basin Commission = Agency
•Legal basis: a treaty, an agreement
•Budget given by agreement of parties
•Tasks: Working programme given by agreement of the parties
National Administrations = Authorities
•Legal basis: national act of law
•Budget given by parliament
•Tasks: implementation and enforcement of water law
Competences Capacities

7. 7
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Main Working Topics of the ICPR
1 Water quality
Cleaning communal and industrial sewage (historical No. 1 topic)
Prevention of accidental industrial pollution
 Diffuse pollution of waters by nutrients and pesticides from agriculture
 Water temperature regime (use of cooling water for power plants)
 Quality of river water used as raw water for processing drinking water.
 River basin management plan according to the EU WFD
2 Water quantity
 Flood protection
 Possible future change of flow regime due to climate change.

8. 8
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
ICPR – Working Programme:
Reintroduction of the Salmon in the River Rhine Basin

9. 9
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Lake Constance International Commission:
Reducing Eutrophication by Phosphorus

10. 10
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Joint body – an `umbrella term´ – means any bilateral or multilateral
commission or other appropriate institutional arrangements for
cooperation
Obligation (not recommendation) to establish joint bodies
Joint bodies have a key role of as main vehicle of cooperation
Joint bodies have key tasks
(exchange of data and information, joint monitoring, mutual assistance,
early warning systems, etc.) but Parties may
entrust additional tasks

11. 11
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Provisions for the members of the Convention:
 An institutional mechanism with Meeting of the Parties, permanent
secretariat, working groups and activities on the ground
 Exchange of experience between joint bodies and promotion of good
practice at various meetings under the Convention
 Best practices and experience are summarized in the Convention’s
publications (e. g. “River basin commissions…” ).

12. 12
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Annex: Topics for Discussion

13. 13
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Folie: 13
National sub-basin organisation:
German Association for the Rhine (FGG Rhein)
German Federal Ministries of
• Environment (BMU)
• Navigation (BMVBS)
State Ministries of Environment
of eight German States:
• Baden-Württemberg
• Bayern
• Hessen
• Niedersachsen
• Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Rheinland-Pfalz
• Saarland
• Thüringen

14. 14
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Danube River Basin
Danube River Basin
The most international
river basin in the world
 18 countries – 13 riparian
 81 million inhabitants
 10 % of EU area
 801.463 km2
River Basin
 2.780 km river length

15. 15
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
River Basin
Management
Expert
Group
EG:Monitoring
Assessment
EG: Pressures
Measures
EG: Flood
Sava
Sub-
Basin
GIS
Standing Working Group
Danube
Delta
Tisza
Sub-
Basin
Prut
Sub-
Basin
Further
Sub-
Basins
PP
Intern. Com. for the Protection of the Danube River
ICPDR
SEG
1989: Danube River Protection Convention
Ministerial Meetings
Secretariat
MemberStates+EU-Commission

16. 16
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Bilateral Commissions for Water Management
Austria - Germany:
Permanent Commission on Water
According to the Regensburg-Treaty with Austria on cooperation in water
management in the Danube River Basin
Legal Basis: Treaty GE – AT 1987.
Czech Republic - Germany:
German-Czech Commission on transboundary waters with two
permanent expert boards and a secretariat
Legal Basis: Treaty GE – CZ 1995.

17. 17
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Thermal Artesian Water:
An aquifer shared by Germany and Austria
Water Abstraction in Mio m³/a
Thermal water heating
Bathing water in spas
Obernberg
0,3
2,0
0,9
3,2
1,91,00,2
0,4
0,1
0,2
0,1
0,6

18. 18
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Decision-making and Conflict Resolution
 Voting procedure:
 Each party has one vote
 Unanimous decisions (ICPDR: Quorum at ¾ of parties attendant and
decision with 4/5 majority of the attendees)
 abstention is possible and not conflicting unanimity
 Absence means abstention
 Resolution of conflicts about the interpretation of the Agreement:
 Negotiations in order to settle the dispute (e.g. ICPDR: 12 month)
 By application of one party: Convention of an arbitration court with
three members(one of each party and an umpire assigned by both
parties); decision by majority.
 Decision making according to law of nations and the text of the
convention.

19. 19
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
What makes international river management a success?
Multilayer - concept of institutional and legislative arrangements
addressing water management on as many levels as possible:
UNECE Water Convention
Supranational water law (e. g. EU water directives)
International multilateral river basin commissions
International bilateral river basin commissions and treaties
National water law
National river basin associations (interregional)
National water authorities
Regional / communal water authorities.

20. 20
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Some Conclusions
Management of shared water resources:
 Basis: A political decision or legal obligation for international co-operation
 Legal arrangements: Treaties, agreements, conventions
 Formation of institutions: River basin organizations, bi-lateral commissions
 Technical capacities: Monitoring, planning, principles & standards, measures
 Controlling and enforcement mechanisms: Monitoring, authorities, legislation.
Management principles of subsidiary:
 Address problems at the lowest possible institutional and regional level
 Make decisions as close as possible to the locations and people affected
 Take measures adjusted to regional and local conditions.

21. 21
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Folie: 21
International Commission for the Protection of the
Rhine ICPR
International Commission for the Protection of the
Lake Constance (Bodensee) IGKB
International Commissions for the Protection of the
Rivers Mosel and Saar IKSMS
(international tributaries of the river Rhine)
Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine
ZKR
3 International Organisations in the Rhine Basin

22. 22
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
Basin shared by 9 countries:
Germany, Switzerland, France,
Netherlands, Italy, Austria,
Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Belgium
- 3rd biggest European river
- catchment 200.000 km²
- main stream 1320 km
- navigable length 825 km
- 58 million inhabitants
- drinking water supply for 30 million
River Rhine

23. 23
Bavarian State Ministry of the
Environment and Public Health
International
River Basins
in Europe