Minister Grabar-Kitarović met on the margins of the formal meeting with the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary, Kinga Göncz. Both Ministers expressed their hope that the excellent cooperation between two countries will continue in future. Minister Göncz repeted also that the Republic of Hungary supports completely the Republic of Croatia on its further way to the European Union and NATO. They reffered to the past achievements of both goverments and expressed their belief that the successfull cooperation will continue.
A joint communiqué adopted during the formal meeting in which is greeted the continuation of cooperation on the Danube as an important European traffic corridor,is admitted below.
Joint Communiqué
of member and observer states of the Danube Commission
The representatives of member and observer states showed determination to make further efforts in order to preserve the Danube as their common heritage and to strengthen its role in connecting different peoples, economies and cultures. As a convincing example of their common engagement in the cause of the Danube they recalled the successful restoration of free navigation at Novi Sad with the decisive support of the European Union.
They shared the view that, in parallel with improving the conditions of navigation, in cooperation with other relevant international organizations, more emphasis should be laid on respecting the aspects of environment protection, including the protection of the fragile ecosystem of the Danube Delta.
The participants expressed readiness to support initiatives aimed at the development of inland navigation in Europe through the promotion of Pan-European Corridor VII, which should play an increasing role in future European transport and economic relations. They agreed upon the improvement of further co-operation with the structures involved in European inland waterways transport, and they encouraged further harmonization and unification of the rules and technical requirements in inland navigation.
They expressed their common will to intensify the activities aimed at the further development of the Danube navigation as part of the European Inland waterway network. They considered desirable to cooperate in reducing the burden on road transport through the promotion of transport by waterways, building multi-modal logistical bases in order to create new possibilities for labour, and promoting tourism in regions neighbouring the waterway.
The participants of the anniversary meeting positively assessed the measures taken by all parties concerned in practical realization of the provisions of the 2001 Rotterdam declaration for the development of the European inland navigation and urged the governments of the Danube Commission, Central Commission for Navigation of Rhein and member and observer states of European conference of Ministers of Transport to take an active part in the Conference of Bucharest in autumn 2006, the primary task whereof will be approval of new objectives and tasks in order to increase the efficiency of the internal water transport of Europe.
They expressed the need of developing the existing structures of inland navigation, by integrating the interests of all concerned countries. In this regard they welcome the findings of the High Level Meeting of the Inland Navigation Summit, held in Vienna on 15 February 2006.
They acknowledged with satisfaction the growing interest in the activity of the Danube Commission, and the new impetus received through cooperation with key organizations dealing with inland waterway navigation.
They appraised the contribution of the Danube Cooperation Process to the enhancement of the overall Danube cooperation and in this context, they considered desirable to accomplish the process of the revision of the Belgrade Convention as early as possible.
Inspired by the solidarity for the population living along the banks of the river hit by floods from time to time, they expressed their readiness to promote – alongside with the development of the waterway - the elaboration of efficient measures of flood-prevention.
Adopted in Budapest on 3rd July 2006.