Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2017 (97. évfolyam)
2017 / 3. szám - MANAGING WATER QUALITY (ONGOING PROJECTS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES) - Novak, Vladimír - Láng István: Co-operation between the Slovak Republic and Hungary in the hydrology of transboundary waters
59 Co-operation between the Slovak Republic and Hungary in the Hydrology of Transboundary Waters Vladimír Novák* and István Láng** * Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Environment of the Slovak Republic) ** Plenipotentiary of the Government of Hungary Directorate of Water Management, Hungary) Abstract The paper gives a short overview of the cooperation method in the hydrology of transboundary waters between the Slovak Republic and Hungary. Key words Hydrology, transboundary waters, cooperation, Hungary, Slovak Republic. Republic for water management issues on transboundary waters (Ministry of for water management issues on transboundary waters (Hungarian General BACKGROUND TO THE AGREEMENT The cooperation in water management issues on transboundary waters with Hungary takes place on the basis of the Agreement between the Government of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and the Government of the Hungarian People's Republic on the regulation of water management issues on transboundary waters, signed in Budapest on 31 May 1976 (hereinafter the “Agreement”), which came into force on 31 July 1978. As a consequence of the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic with the establishment of two independent states, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic, a new Agreement on Cooperation on Transboundary Waters needed to be concluded. A new Agreement between the Government of the Slovak Republic and the Government of Hungary on cooperation in shared river basins and on transboundary waters, which is to replace the above-mentioned Agreement still in force, is being drafted at present. The text of the new Agreement takes into consideration current knowledge of cooperation on the Slovak-Hungar- ian transboundary waters and fully takes into account and applies the principles and provisions of in particular Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, as well as Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks, and is in compliance with the Slovak legal order and with the principles and provisions of valid international conventions regarding waters, environment and nature protection, as well as with the obligations undertaken within other valid international treaties and conventions. THE COMMISSION AND ITS WORKING GROUPS Based on the Agreement, a Slovak-Hungarian Commission for Transboundary Waters was established (hereinafter the “Commission”) which, at its annual meetings, negotiates and solves all the issues of water management on transboundary waters, which also makes it possible to avoid possible adverse impacts on water management conditions in the territory of the other party’s State. Each party appoints a permanent government plenipotentiary to the Commission, a deputy plenipotentiary and working group leaders and members. Currently, the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for water management issues on transboundary waters is Ing. Vladimír Novák, and the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Hungary for water management issues on transboundary waters is Ing. István Láng. Other experts can be invited to Commission meetings, too, if it is necessary for the solution of a specific problem. The working groups fulfil their tasks on the basis of their mandates, principles of cooperation and directives approved by the Commission, as they result from the intergovernmental agreement specifying individual areas of cooperation and the resulting tasks. The group’s work plan for the current period is approved annually at Commission meetings. Working Group for Hydrology For the cooperation in hydrology, a “Working group for hydrology” was established (in 2011 it was renamed “Joint working group for the quality of transboundary waters and hydrology“). Its holds meetings twice a year, in the Slovak Republic and in Hungary in turn. The basic document for the work of the “Joint working group for the quality of transboundary waters and hydrology” is the “Rules of exchange of hydrological data and information between the Slovak Republic and Hungary” (hereinafter the “Rules”), which regulate the uniform execution of tasks pursuant to Article 17 (notification of hydrological and hydrometeorological data) and Article 3 (general commitments), Section 2 of the valid Agreement, taking into account:- Convention on cooperation for the protection and sustainable use of the River Danube (Sofia, June 1994),- Resolution of Plenipotentiaries at Meeting LIV of the Slovak-Hungarian Commission for Transboundary Waters in Item 21 c of the Protocol on Establishing a Group of Hydrology Experts (Palárikovo, November 1993). Annexes to the Rules constitute an integral part thereof and contain a list of data, profiles and structures, the means and frequency of data exchange, as well as contact addresses. The Annexes to the Rules are updated as necessary at the meeting of the Joint Working Group.
