(Belgrade, 01th June 2004.)

After the parliamentary ratification was recently completed by the four countries involved (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia) the Sava River Commission was officialy established at the ceremony called „Sava Day“ in Belgrade on June 1st 2004. Talking on behalf of the Stability Pact, which brokered the agreement and was instrumental in fundraising for the establishment of the commission and secretariat, Special Coordinator Mr Erhard Busek, commended the countries for this achievement.

Assistance to the Interim Commission for the Sava River Basin (ICSB) was given by the representatives of the International community, REC, EC, OSCE, ICPDR, JICA, EBRD. In continuation of the meeting, the Regional Director for South Eastern Europe of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), Dr Radoje Lausevic, gave the short resume of up-to-date support and further plans for the support of REC in the processes of Sava River Basin management.

The conclusions of the meeting were that the First Session of the International commission for the Sava River Basin will be held in Zagreb, and that the continuation of work of the Interim Secretariat, BAH and REC, will be conducted until the Permanent Secretariat to the Commission is established.

The legal framework on the Sava River Commission was signed in Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) in December 2002. It is a very comprehensive river basin management concept addressing the needs of navigation, sustainable water management, hydro-electricity and environmental protection. The Sava countries signed legal documents, which state that the Republic of Slovenia will serve as depositary for the Sava Commission’s legal instruments. The seat of the Sava River Commission is in Zagreb.