Memorandum by the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office on the clearance of the Danube
1. As an international waterway, Danube
navigation is managed by the Danube Commission based in Budapest.
In late 1999 the Commission approached the European Union with
a request for help in removing unexploded ordnance and debris
and repairing the riverbed at Novi Sad. With the cooperation of
Austria, as Commission Chair, and with the support of other EU
member states, the European Commission agreed to design and co-finance
an appropriate project; and the proposal was adopted at the General
Affairs Council in July 2000. The EU agreed to provide 85 per
cent of project costs, up to a ceiling of 22 meuro (£14 million).
2. During summer 2000, the project was delayed
by FRY insistence on the appointment of a Yugoslav National as
Project Director (and threats to block the project if the FRY
candidate did not get the position: the Danube Commission operates
on the basis of unanimity). Following the fall of Milosevic, European
Commission representatives visited Belgrade on 9 October for discussions
with the new FRY authorities. The FRY's previous objections were
rescinded and on 16 October a Project Director was finally appointed
with responsibility for publishing and selecting tenders.
3. Tendering is underway. Work will start
in the spring once equipment is on site and water levels have
fallen. The Danube Commission and NATO have begun technical consultations
on the possible location of unexploded ordnance. The Danube Commission
expects navigation on the Danube to be fully restored in summer
2001, and the final part of the project—restoration of the
riverbeds—will be completed in late 2001/early 2002. The
EU is not a member of the Danube Commission, but has been effective
in pushing this project forward. The European Commission made
funds available within two weeks of the Council's decision to
adopt the proposal, and has also tried to speed up the process
by drafting several of the tenders in advance and by reducing
deadlines under EU procurement rules to a minimum. ££1.
The Danube Commission has established a website (www.dunacom.org),
where tenders are listed publicly, in line with EU procurement
rules.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
22 February 2001
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