Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman, Dear Friends,

Allow me first of all to thank you for travelling here to Kranjska Gora , this wonderful ski resort,  to witness the signature of the "Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin" and the "Protocol on the navigation regime".

The place where we meet toady is highly symbolic.  It stands close to the unique point on the map of Europe where the Slavic, the Latin and the Germanic cultures meet.  And it is also a source of a river that flows trough four countries and forms an important part of their identities, linked as it is not only to their rural and urban landscape but also to their economy and even to their culture.

The objective of these agreements is trans-boundary water management.  As many political analysts are suggesting, in the years to come , competing claims for the use of trans-boundary water are likely to become  a source of potential conflicts in many regions of the world and to play an increasing role in international relations .

In  this perspective, today’s signing of the  Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin is a remarkable milestone :first, the Agreement provides the four countries concerned with an important political tool to prevent conflicts on water uses in a sensitive region ; second and  more importantly, it marks the beginning of a new, long term, locally driven co-operation process to manage water resources in the interest of the population of the entire region. .

 

Toward this result, the four countries of the Sava Basin -- Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , and the Republic of Slovenia -- have been engaged since the genesis of the Sava River Initiative in June 2001. 

 

The Sava basin countries demonstrated their commitment to establishing a regional cooperation process for the Sava by signing a Letter of Intent on November 29, 2001,in Sarajevo, calling for cooperation in:

 

• Establishing an international navigation regime on the Sava river and its main tributaries the  Una and the  Drina ;
• Promoting sustainable management of the Sava Basin waters and related resources;
• Fostering integrated economic development while preserving the environment and  the well being of population; and
• Creating the proper institutional framework to fulfil these objectives.

 

The Sava Basin countries entrusted the Stability Pact with task of transforming this general commitment into concrete Agreements and Action Plan

 

On the 12^th of March 2002, the Sava River Basin Initiative was established in Brcko, jointly chaired by the Stability Pact and the region.  Two working groups composed of appointed national delegates were set up :

§         the International Framework Agreement (IFA) Working Group in charge  of finalising the framework of cooperation;

§         the  Rehabilitation and Development Working Group in charge of devising the first Action Plan for the Sava River Basin 

 

Since March, both of these Working Groups have carried out an ambitious series of working sessions, facilitated by the Stability Pact and hosted by the Office of the High Representative in Brcko, Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

 

The document signed today is the product of the very diligent and intensive efforts of the International Framework Agreement Working Group.

 

The Agreement affirms the commitment of the four Sava basin countries to cooperate in managing the Sava River Basin and establishes a process to achieve the following goals:

 

• Re-opening the Sava River and its navigable tributaries to commercial navigation in line with the Danube Commission 's international regime as clearly  specified in the  Protocol  signed today;
• Establishment of sustainable water management; and
• Undertaking of measures to prevent or limit hazards and reduce the adverse consequences of floods, ice, droughts and incidents involving hazardous substances.

 

An International Sava River Basin Commission is established to implement the Agreement, including the preparation of a Sava River Basin Action Plan.  The agreement includes the statute for the Commission, a process for resolving disputes, and a protocol on the regime of navigation.

 

This is a very innovative international agreement in river basin management since not only it includes the latest international conventions devised in this field but, for the first time navigation, and other forms of water utilisation are going to be dealt with in an integrated approach by the Sava Commission  

 

The mission accomplished by the International Framework Agreement Working Group has been remarkable and, what is even more noteworthy , it was accomplished in only 15 months.  For all of you familiar with international agreements in water management and navigation, this short time is a genuine record.  For this achievement our thanks and congratulations go to all the national delegates, the international experts, the international donors supporting the process, namely the EC, the USA, the OHR ,who hosted all the meetings of the Working Group in its premises in Brcko and provided interpretation services, Hungary, the Danube Commission and, last but not least, to International Framework Agreement  Chair Beate Grzeski and  Regional Co-chair Ambassador Dervisbegovic.  Without their dedication and creativity, this Agreement could not have been possible.  A special mention is deserved for  the contribution of Mrs. Nina Fite ,Regional Environment Science and Technology Officer of the American Embassy in Budapest, who made possible the funding of the Sava Initiative Secretariat, supported by the Regional Environment Centre.

 

The Rehabilitation and Development Working Group has organised itself into subgroups to prepare an Action Plan for the Sava Basin in the areas of:

 

§         Navigation;

§         Integrated water management and environmental quality; and

§         Economic development.

 

This Working Group is identifying priority needs and projects needed to meet the objectives of the Framework Agreement, such as de-mining, dredging and marking of the waterway and other measures needed to reopen the Sava to commercial navigation, the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure like ports and inter-modal facilities needed to foster economic development; projects to improve water quality management; and the establishment of a joint warning system for flood control and response to emergencies.

 

 

The Rehabilitation and Development Working Group is planning to complete the first Action Plan in early 2003, supported by SECI, making best use of its expertise in this field..

 

Let me express also my thanks to all the national delegates and international experts, who have already done quite substantial work within the Rehabilitation and Development Working Group, chaired by Gabriele Martignago and co-chaired by Ambassador Dervisbegovic, and also to the international donors, namely again the EC, the USA, the Netherlands and the OHR, who have already, in one way or another, provided support to this group or expressed willingness to provide support in the future.

 

The greatest challenges are indeed ahead of us.  They are to implement to-day’s agreement, including the establishment of the new Sava River Basin Commission and to restore the Sava River to navigation.  With the support, among others, of USAID, the Stability Pact is willing to help organise in the first quarter of 2003 a meeting of interested parties in view of rehabilitating the fairway for minimum navigation category.  The organisation of such a meeting would be a last effort of the Stability Pact before handing over the coordination of the follow-up of the Initiative to SECI, which has developed expertise in trans-boundary water management issues and infrastructure development.  However, regional ownership has to continue and the four countries must remain engaged, which is also important as a signal to the international community. 

 

In conclusion, allow me to come back to the political significance of to-day’s signing in Kranjska Gora.

 

I believe that the new integrated co-operation process we are launching offers a real chance to the people and the countries of Sava Basin to put behind them past conflicts and misunderstandings, that have led only to impoverishment, and to foster the economic development of the region and the well being of its people.  It shows how wrong are some remaining pre-conceptions about the inability of the countries of this region of Europe to co-operate.  As Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for SEE, I can only rejoice as I see the countries of the region launching yet another regional co-operation process that will help reshape in a very positive way the image of the region and build a new track record of voluntary common accomplishments.

 

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman, dear Friends, today the Sava has become a unifying force; the divisions of the past are behind us.  This is European co-operation at its best.  The reopening of the Sava to international commercial navigation will further invigorate the region economically.  Thereby four countries will be one region.

 

Once again, I wish you a successful implementation of the Agreement and Protocol signed today and I thank you for your attention.