The human being cannot live without water, neither plants or animals. Water is a crucial element of our living environment; therefore, a sustainable and responsible management of our water resources is not only a possibility; it is a mandatory duty.

EUSDR Water Quality Priority Area (PA4) has 4 major objectives to follow during its work. These refer to making steps to achieve the management objectives set out in the Danube River Basin Management Plan; reducing the nutrient levels in the Danube River to allow the recovery of the Black Sea ecosystems to conditions similar to 1960s; elaborating a Danube Delta Analysis Report as a step towards completion of the Delta management Plan; securing viable populations of Danube sturgeon species.

We present you JOINTISZA, a project compliant with some objectives of the priority area – river basin management (RBM) and flood protection, and financed by the #DanubeTransnationalProgramme.

The challenge in the Tisza river basin is that a sizeable population lives in the area with a significant number of inhabitants living directly on the floodplain of the river. These people not only experience the beauty of the river basin but have to face the harshness of it as well: relentless floods, severe excess water inundations, enduring water scarcity and disastrous pollutions.

The success of tackling this problem lies in the cooperation of the Tisza countries. These nations have to harmonize their approaches to be able to act jointly for the sake of their citizens.

As a consequence of these findings, the JOINTISZA project is the first ever such cooperation of the Tisza countries, and this pioneering endeavour could lead to further collaboration in other fields as well.

The main aim of the project is to further improve the integration of water management and flood risk prevention planning and actions for the next RBM planning cycle, in line with the relevant EU legislation.

Considering that a detailed river basin management plan could be the basis of the measures in emergency cases, the project team created an updated Integrated Tisza River Basin Management Plan. If the Tisza countries – who are all involved in the project – ratify this plan, they will be able address the water management issues by a common guide, which would be a big leap forward regarding the international cooperation of this region. It will also serve as a guide for decision makers, experts, and provide answers in critical situations. The ratification process is longer, but the preparations have started. At present, a draft Memorandum of Understanding has been created, which will have to be signed by the countries. This draft is being commented by the countries’ experts.