Parliamentary Assembly Assemblée parlementaire

Doc. 10888
11 April 2006

Protecting the Danube Delta

Motion for a recommendation
presented by Mr Preda and others

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refers to its Resolution 1444 (2005) on protection of European deltas. In that resolution, the Assembly stressed that “the preservation of the biological, ecological and scientific potential of European river deltas is an issue of concern since deltas are areas particularly sensitive to environmental changes” and that “some European deltas are threatened by human activity and are seriously at risk”.

The Assembly was “concerned by the Ukrainian project to build a deep-water navigation canal on the Chilia arm of the Danube, following the Bystroe channel into the sea, the latter cutting across the Ukrainian Delta Biosphere Reserve”. It was of the opinion that “this initiative may yield serious consequences for the entire Danube Delta ecosystem”, and called on Ukraine, amongst others, “to stop immediately the work on the construction of the deep water navigation canal until an international environmental impact assessment had been conducted, and to implement the conclusions of that study, to consider alternatives to the construction of the deep water navigation canal and to comply with the provisions of the international agreements to which it was party.

The Assembly also called on the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to hold a parliamentary debate on the environmental consequences of the project of building the deep water navigable canal through the Danube Delta and on other possible alternatives.

It is a matter of some regret that Ukraine does not appear willing to go down the path suggested by the Assembly and that it is continuing work on the construction of the deep water navigation canal in the Danube Delta, despite the negative effects on the environment already observed.

The Assembly insists on the need for Ukraine, as a member of the Council of Europe, to comply with the requests of the organisation’s parliamentary organ and to take on board the fact that respect for the environment is essential for sustainable development in Europe as a whole.

It accordingly calls on Ukraine to stop immediately the current work on the navigation canal and to take the necessary steps to repair the environmental damage to the Danube Delta already caused by this work.

Signed ¹:

PREDA, Cezar Florin, Romania, EPP/CD
CLIVETI, Minodora, Romania, SOC
COŞKUNOĞLU, Osman, Turkey, SOC
de MELO, Maria Manuela, Portugal, SOC
de PUIG, Lluís Maria, Spain, SOC
FRUNDA, György, Romania, EPP/CD
GLĂVAN, Stefan, Romania, ALDE
GLESENER, Marcel, Luxembourg, EPP/CD
HANCOCK, Michael, United Kingdom, ALDE
HUSEYNOV, Rafael, Azerbaijan, ALDE
MIUTESCU, Gheorghe Adrian, Romania, ALDE
SÁNDOR, Tamás, Romania, EPP/CD
SEVERIN, Adrian, Romania, SOC
STĂNOIU, Rodica Mihaela, Romania, SOC
TKÁČ, Vojtech, Slovakia, SOC

¹     SOC: Socialist Group
       EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
       ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
       EDG: European Democratic Group
       UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
       NR: not registered in a group