Danube-Networkers
Interview with Gabriela Macarie
Text: Gabriela Macarie
My name is Gabriela MACARIE and I am part of the Danube Network project team.
From the Black Forest Mountains to the Danube Delta, the Delta has a length of 2845 km and travelling through 13 countries. The Danube stream and its tributaries have a basin of 817.000 square kilometres representing the space of life for over 80 million inhabitants. Now the Danube's basin is covering only 20% of the initial surface covered by water, of which only half still represents the natural characteristics in the real sense.
Danube Delta is an UNESCO reservation of 600.000 hectares, a unique combination of channels, embankments, lakes, islands - a wonder of life!
Which is, in brief, your opinion regarding the Danube's problems in general?
Water flows, it doesn't have any borders and takes over the entire pollution. A way to protect Danube is to make people love this stream and remind always that it is there, beautiful and alive!
We do not have to forget that essential is not to enrich the man, not even to feed him, but to make him happy! We must keep the waters clean to maintain clean our life. We must keep the waters alive to maintain water on this planet. The old Danube river make us being always young!
Danube is a unifying water stream. The problems envisaging the Danube may be regulated only by the harmonious political will of the riparian countries, by accepting a single juridical framework.
The responsibility is common in managing the river and must target the well-being of all people. Danube is a European river and this is why we must refer to it as to a common good.
How is Danube represented within the official documents and in the European strategies?
The European Commission recognizes Danube as being „the most important non-oceanic water shine in Europe" and „a future central axis of „EU".
By the EU policies in fields like transport, energy, water supplies resources, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, hunting, regional development the opportunities provided by the Danube river can be turned into good account.
At Sofia, on June 1994, the Convention on cooperation for protection and sustainable utilization of the Danube River was signed.
Since 2004, the day of 29th of June is celebrated as the Danube's Day by all the countries situated within the river's basin.
Ms. Macarie, thank you!
Thank you too!
