River Modification Projects

Most valuable river stretches seen as "bottlenecks" for navigation

To promote navigation on the Danube River, the European Union is seeking to remove 'bottlenecks' on the Danube -- areas containing many of Europe's most precious remaining natural treasures.

As part of the EU's Trans-European Network for Transportation (TEN-T), new infrastructure projects are already planned for the Danube, including the elimination of "strategic bottlenecks" through deepening and straightening the river channel, cutting off side arems and building embankments.

The  "bottlenecks" overlap with the Danube River's most valuable natural stretches -- areas including the last free flowing stretches in Germany between Straubing and Vilshofen, the beautiful Wachau valley in Austria, or large spectacular stretches of the middle and lower Danube in Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.
(see factsheets on areas and projects at right).

The planned infrastructure projects could contravene the environmental laws of the European Union, particularly the Water Framework Directive (WFD).

"Unless it can be determined that the projects do not deteriorate the river's environmental status, the Danube analysis will identify them as being at risk of failing the objectives of the WFD," noted a report by the International Commision for Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR).The report added that these projects must be subject to environmental impact assessments that include WFD criteria to "reduce negative impacts to the fullest".

WWF urges the European Commission to take its own legislation into account, as well as inevsting public funds in a responsible way. "Strategic elimination" of "bottlenecks" will not promote Inland Waterway Transport on the Danube in a sustainable way.