Strategic issues - European union

A conference, organized by the European Commission and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been held with the aim of improving environmental conditions and developing the huge economic potential of the Danube region. The Danube Region has huge economic, environmental and social potential. However, significant economic, social and infrastructure disparities which developed during the divided past of the region still persist. The Commission believes that putting in place a strategy will help to eradicate this unequal legacy. The proposal was presented to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in Doha, Qatar, March 13-25, 2010, where it was rejected. The Water Framework Directive, adopted in 2000, establishes a European framework for the protection of all water bodies in the European Union- rivers, lakes, coastal waters and groundwater- with a view to achieving good quality water resources by 2015.