The Tisza Office of the Middle Tisza Water Directorate (KÖTIVIZIG) was ceremonially inagurated 4th November 2014 by the participation of Mr. Ivan Zavadsky, Secretary General of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Mr. István Joó, Danube Region Strategy Ministerial Commissioner (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), Mr. István Láng, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Water Management, Mr. Sándor Kovács, President of the Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County Assembly and Mr. István Szabó, Deputy Mayor of Szolnok.

The problems of water management and water quality in Hungary are mostly related to the Tisza River, thatswhy Danube Region Strategy supports the implementation of Tisza basinwide cooperation said in his welcome speach Mr István Joó, Ministerial Envoy Responsible for the implementation of  the Danube Region Strategy in Hungary.  As a background of the opening of the Tisza Office, in the period of the Hungarian EU Presidency in the first semester of 2011, a Tisza Conference was held at Szolnok Town Hall and a Tisza Declaration was adopted containing the relevant objectives and instruments.


Tisza Declaration


The Tisza Valley has a key role in the Carpathian Basin from hydrogeographical point of view.
River Tisza is the most significant tributary of the Danube River Basin, and its largest sub-basin in the same time. 90% of the water flow - which originates from Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania and discharges into the Danube in Serbia - runs through our country. Most of Hungary’s water management and water quality problems are related to River Tisza.
The Tisza River Basin forms a unified water system and shared by several countries. Thus the work to find common and effective answers on water management problems is essential. The only possible way of solving these problems is to cooperate within a unified framework. Different interests caused by fragmentation must be solved within the basin by responsive cooperation of countries and stakeholders, in accordance with the regulations of the European Union and with the adaptation of the subsidiarity principle.
Due to its high magnitude, an independent group within the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) deals with the integrated water management of the Tisza River Basin as a sub-basin, furthermore it appears as a separate unit in the Danube River Basin Management Plan as well. The Integrated Tisza River Basin Management Plan has been developed with the aspects of water damage prevention and integrated management of water quality and quantity, that goes beyond the requirements of the Water Framework Directive and mutually important for the five interested countries. Coordination and supervision of the implementation, avoidance of parallelisms and reinforcement of synergies are important tasks of the plan.
The efficient completion of these tasks requires the establishment of an independent international committee with river basin approach, improving the current cooperation in theTisza Valley.
Facilitating the sustainable development of the Tisza River Basin, the Tisza River Sub-basin Water Management Council initiated the settlement of an “umbrella” organization to ensure a forum for stakeholders willing to improve the basin. According to this objective, the Tisza River Basin Workshop – based in Szolnok - was established today. Tisza River Basin Workshop is an open coordinating forum, where members set the framework of the system by the representation of their field.
Further aim of founders of Tisza River Basin Workshop is to facilitate the constitution of theTisza Convention among the basin’s countries, including the establishment of the International Tisza River Basin Commission. By the establishment of the Commission a multi-level and broad relationship and data network could be developed in the Tisza Basin. The countries of this consultation and coordination body would cooperate to ensure the water management and hydrologic balance and to protect natural values of River Tisza. The Commission would elaborate recommendations and strategies on international level regarding River Tisza and its tributaries, taking into account the provisions and objectives of the Water Framework Directive and the Flood Directive. The Commission would outline the necessary exploratory research needs and the sufficient knowledge necessary to raise cross-border awareness of professionals involved in the implementation of tasks.
Further objectives are to facilitate the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in the Tisza River Basin, the integrated management of water quantity and quality issues, elaboration of proposals concerning the mitigation of effects of climate change.
The founders of the Tisza River Basin Workshop undertake to provide professional and supporting background after the establishment of the International Tisza River Basin Commission.

Szolnok, 03. 30.2011.

The main task of the Tisza Office is the coordination of Tisza issues at national level in partnership with the ICPDR, the Secretariat of the Danube Region Strategy Ministerial Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the River Basin Management and Water Protection  Department of the Ministry of Interior, the General Directorate of Water Management, different departments of KÖTIVIZIG and with other Hungarian and foreign partners.
Tisza Office is initiating and participating in the realisation of projects, coordinating the international relations of KÖTIVIZIG, it is responsable for the organization and realization of programs of incoming and outgoing professional delegations and providing translation and interpretation. As part of the Water Protection and Management Department, Mr. György Rátfai and Ms. Melinda Váci are engaged in Tisza Office’s issues.

 

Photos: Jász-Nagykun Szolnok County Government / Róbert Kabát