Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Danube

Date of latest update: 2024-12-18

Description

Description (EN):

The project bears the name of the ancient Greek titan goddess of freshwaters, as it addresses the titanic task awaiting the Danube countries to effectively tackle hazardous substances (HS) water pollution in the context of the ground-breaking EU legislative changes, coupled with emerging external pressures and challenges, among others climate change, energy crisis and market supply shortages. In this context, the transnational transfer of HS pollution obtains environmental, societal, political and legal dimensions even broader and more complex than before; thus, two scales, the national ones for the single Danube River Basin (DRB) countries and the transnational one addressing the DRB as a whole, need to be addressed in parallel. Building on the outputs of the DTP Danube Hazard m3c and of other projects and initiatives, Tethys aims to tackle HS water pollution through a holistic set of activities that will develop, test, and provide to national organizations and to the ICPDR fit-for-purpose, target-oriented and cost-efficient procedures, workflows, and tools. The developed solutions will be harmonized at DRB scale and at the same time will be adjusted to the national specificities of the Danube countries, with special focus on aligning know-how, methods and tools between EU and non-EU territories. The planned approach will cover all required steps from monitoring and chemical analysis, data management and processing to emission modelling and risk assessment. By the end of the project, non-EU and EU countries in the DRB will have jointly developed fit-for-purpose strategies to prioritize resources allocated to monitoring and to select the most appropriate techniques and procedures to generate a solid data basis for HS emissions inventories, including specific pathways under-represented so far. This goes far beyond optimizing current monitoring programmes executed by the countries which focus on the status assessment of water pollution. Discovery and awareness of new substances of emerging concern and regulatory changes regarding their maximum allowed levels in water resources introduce new methodological challenges, as very low threshold levels require extremely sensitive chemical analyses, also for compounds not covered previously in mandatory monitoring programs (e.g. PFAS and pharmaceuticals), thus for which established analytical procedures are not available yet. To respond to this challenge, Tethys will merge and transfer available know-how being developed in other scientific projects and institutional initiatives, will perform interlaboratory comparisons and will jointly develop detailed protocols based on the lessons learned from them. These will immediately improve the chemical analyses and institutional capacities of selected institutions within the project implementation period and will be very valuable for all other laboratories in the DRB, which are facing the very same challenges. New HS databases, coupled with data-processing and pollution assessment packages, as well as comprehensive HS emission models - urgently needed to generate HS emission inventories and to properly evaluate, plan and prioritize actions and measures - will be fully implemented as operative tools at national scale. National solutions are adapted to each country based on territorial and institutional needs, yet maintaining a high level of compatibility, to facilitate reporting, coordinated implementation and evaluation of measures across national borders. By applying the "learning by doing" principle, a major focus lies on the joint demonstration and step-by-step implementation of those complex tools, so that by the end of the project the partners will have implemented them at a fully operative scale and will have sustainably enhanced their institutional capacity. In this way, Tethys closes significant gaps in knowledge, capacity and availability of tools in operation between EU and non-EU countries. The implementation of such tools will be a breakthrough for the digitization, sustainable management, quality insurance and full exploitation of environmental data as well as for the possibility of carrying out for the first time new complex types of risk analyses required by the new EU policy proposals in the field of water quality. In parallel, by the end of project the ICPDR will possess fully operative and ft-for-purpose transnational HS database coupled with data-processing and pollution assessment package and transnational HS emissions model to support regular transnational modelling-based status, risk and scenarios assessment for policy support under new complex challenges and pressures. Finally, Tethys will produce a joint coordinated strategy – to be adopted and included in the DRBMP 2027 - prioritizing actions for effective, future-oriented control of HS in the Danube River Basin elaborated on a sound evidence base and on newly required risk approaches, enabling a right response to the new challenges.

Expected Achievements (EN):

Fit-for-purpose operative acquisition, management, processing and analysis of data for the assessment of HS water pollution and emissions, with harmonized approaches between EU, non-EU countries and at transnational scale in the DRB. By the end of the project: i) EU and non-EU countries will have at their disposal a resource-effective monitoring strategy and Standard Operating Procedures for all steps from selection of sampling locations and timing to chemical analyses with extremely low limits of detection for selected critical substances, in order to create a solid basis for HS emission inventories; ii) ICPDR and national EU and non-EU organizations will have at their disposal a roadmap to improve data availability as well as fully operative HS databases, coupled with a data-processing and pollution assessment tool to effectively and sustainably store, document, manage data and fully exploit its information content for diverse assessments and to support modelling activities. Fit-for-purpose operative implementation of HS emission models, with harmonized approaches and tools between EU, non-EU countries and at transnational scale in the Danube River Basin. By the end of the project, EU and non-EU countries in the DRB will have at their disposal fully operative national HS emission models that allow carrying out the complex risk analyses and scenarios assessments required for prioritisation of policy measures and strategies development. The ICPDR will have at its disposal a fully operative HS emission model, harmonised with the national ones, to carry out such analyses for the entire DRB. This harmonization will facilitate carrying out of comparative analyses and information exchange between DRB countries and at the transnational level. All involved institutions will greatly increase their competences in HS emission modelling and risk analysis to ensure long-term sustainability of the tools and approaches demonstrated and implemented. Joint prioritization and coordination of actions at transnational level for the control and management of HS water pollution in the Danube River Basin under new challenges, pressures and targets. The jointly developed broad and far-reaching strategy - which shall be adopted by the ICPDR in the Danube River Basin Management Plan 2027 - will have a long-lasting transnational impact on the improved management of HS in DRB in the future. Through the process of its joint elaboration, national authorities in EU and non-EU countries will have at their disposal by the end of the project a very important and concrete framework to support the prioritization of actions and development of river basin management plans in their territories.

Project outputs: Testing and demonstration of harmonized and cost-efficient monitoring strategies in non-EU countries and in new critical compartments as a basis for HS emissions and pollution inventories(EN)
Testing and demonstration of procedures, methods and knowledge transfer for the advanced and harmonized chemical analysis of new priority HS with very low limits of detection and quantification(EN)
Testing and demonstration of HS database as operative transnational tool to perform regular transnational modelling-based pollution assessment and to support emissions models and risk assessment(EN)
Testing and demonstration of the conceptual and technical implementation of HS databases, coupled with tools for water pollution analyses, as fully operative tools at national level (EN)
Transnational HS database coupled with data-processing and pollution assessment package as operative tool to support regular transnational modelling-based status, risk and scenarios assessment(EN)
National HS databases coupled with data-processing and pollution assessment package as operative tools to support regular national modelling-based status, risk and scenarios assessment(EN)
Harmonized and cost-efficient monitoring strategies as a basis for HS emissions and pollution inventories(EN)
Improved and harmonized procedures and methods for the chemical analysis of new priority HS with very low limits of detection and quantification(EN)
Testing and demonstration of HS emissions model as an operative fit-for-purpose tool for transnational modelling-based risk and scenarios assessment under new challenges and pressures(EN)
Testing and demonstration of the whole process of adjustment, conceptual and technical implementation of the upgraded HS emission model in national institutions(EN)
Fully operative transnational HS emissions model as a fit-for-purpose tool for risk assessment and evaluation of scenarios for policy support under new complex challenges and pressures(EN)
Fully operative national HS emission models as fit-for-purpose tools for risk assessment and evaluation of scenarios for policy support under new complex challenges and pressures(EN)
Coordinated strategy to tackle complex new challenges and targets of HS water pollution in the Danube River Basin(EN)
Cooperation and enhanced institutional capacity of all project partners and associate strategic partners(EN)

Thematic information

Water management Managing natural and man-made threats, risk management

Priority: (VI-B_D_2) Priority 2 - A greener, low- carbon Danube Region

Priority specific objective: RSO2.5. Promoting access to water and sustainable water management

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 064 Water management and water resource conservation (including river basin management, specific climate change adaptation measures, reuse, leakage reduction)

Partners (13)

Lead Partner: Technische Universität Wien

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ATU 37675002

Department: Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management

Address: Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna, Austria

Department address: Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://iwr.tuwien.ac.at/home/

Total budget: EUR 499 898.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 399 918.40

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 99 979.60

Institut za vodoprivredu "Jaroslav Černi" AD

Name: Institut za vodoprivredu "Jaroslav Černi" AD

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 101968542

Address: Jaroslava Černog, 11226 Belgrade, Serbia

Legal status: private

Organisation type: SME

Website: https://www.jcerni.rs/

Total budget: EUR 210 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 168 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 42 000.00

Umweltbundesamt GmbH

Name: Umweltbundesamt GmbH

Partner’s ID if not PIC: ATU45908200

Address: Spittelauer Lände, 1090 Vienna, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Sectoral agency

Website: http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/

Total budget: EUR 164 287.98

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 131 430.38

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 32 857.60

Contractors:

Name: Buchhaltungsagentur des Bundes
VAT registration or tax identification number: ATU57953646

Javna Ustanova “Vode Srpske“

Name: Javna Ustanova “Vode Srpske“

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 4403534960001

Address: Miloša Obilića, 76300 Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.voders.org

Total budget: EUR 120 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 96 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 24 000.00

Hrvatske vode

Name: Hrvatske vode

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 28921383001

Address: Ulica grada Vukovara, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.voda.hr/en

Total budget: EUR 179 511.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 143 608.80

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 35 902.20

Український гідрометеорологічний інститут ДСНС України та НАН України

Name: Український гідрометеорологічний інститут ДСНС України та НАН України

Department: Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (full name of the organisations, shortened in the above line due to limited characters availability)

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 025725026502

Address: Prospekt Nauki, 03208 Kiev, Ukraine

Department address: Prospekt Nauki, 03208 Kiev, Ukraine

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://uhmi.org.ua/eng/

Total budget: EUR 160 552.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 128 441.60

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 32 110.40

Centar za ekotoksikološka ispitivanja Podgorica

Name: Centar za ekotoksikološka ispitivanja Podgorica

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 30/31-11824-6/

Address: Bulevar Sarla de Gola, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Sectoral agency

Website: http://www.ceti.me

Total budget: EUR 220 710.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 176 568.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 44 142.00

Institut Jozef Stefan

Name: Institut Jozef Stefan

Department: Department of Environmental Sciences

Partner’s ID if not PIC: SI55560822

Address: Jamova cesta, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Department address: Jamova cesta, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: http://www.ijs.si

Total budget: EUR 258 040.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 206 432.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 51 608.00

Výskumný Ústav Vodného Hospodárstva

Name: Výskumný Ústav Vodného Hospodárstva

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 2020798593

Address: Nábr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu , 81249 Bratislava, Slovakia

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Sectoral agency

Website: http://www.vuvh.sk

Total budget: EUR 248 982.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 199 185.60

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 49 796.40

Administratia Nationalǎ „Apele Române“

Name: Administratia Nationalǎ „Apele Române“

Partner’s ID if not PIC: RO24326056

Address: Edgar Quinet Street, 010018 Bucharest, Romania

Legal status: public

Organisation type: National public authority

Website: http://www.rowater.ro/

Total budget: EUR 202 245.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 161 796.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 40 449.00

Българска асоциация по водите

Name: Българска асоциация по водите

Partner’s ID if not PIC: BG831199654

Address: Hristo Smirnenski Boulevard, 1046 Sofia, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Website: http://www.bwa-bg.com

Total budget: EUR 238 780.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 191 024.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 47 756.00

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River

Name: International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River

Partner’s ID if not PIC: N.a.

Address: Wagramer Strasse, 1220 Vienna, Austria

Legal status: public

Organisation type: International organisation, EEIG

Website: https://www.icpdr.org/

Total budget: EUR 126 279.20

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 101 023.36

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 25 255.84

Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem

Name: Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem

Department: Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering

Partner’s ID if not PIC: HU15308799

Address: Műegyetem rkp, 1111 Budapest, Hungary

Department address: Műegyetem rkp, 1111 Budapest, Hungary

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Website: https://www.bme.hu/

Total budget: EUR 307 900.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 246 320.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 61 580.00

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Jaroslav Černi Water Institute

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Umweltbundesamt GmbH

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Public Institution “Vode Srpske”

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Croatian Waters

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute State Service on Emergencies and National Academy of Science

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Center for Ecotoxicological Research Podgorica

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Jozef Stefan Institute

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Water Research Institute

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

National Administration „Romanian Waters”

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Bulgarian Water Association

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Partners and Projects info

Vienna University of Technology

Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Project acronym: Tethys

Project ID: DRP0200037

Project start date: 2024-01-01

Project end date: 2026-06-30

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

Selection of most relevant ongoing projects:
- EU Horizon PROMISCES (Preventing Recalcitrant Organic Mobile Industrial chemicals for Circular Economy in the Soil-sediment-water system; https://promisces.eu/), in which LP1 TU Wien is project partner and lead of the case study on the Upper Danube
- EU Horizon SOS-WATER (https://sos-water.eu/about/)
- EU-funded “EU4Environment – Water and Data in Eastern Partner Countries” (https://www.eu4waterdata.eu/en/), of which PP12 UBA is Lead Partner, aims to achieve a more sustainable use of water resources and improved use and availability of environmental data for decision-makers and citizens in Eastern countries.
- Joint Danube Survey 5 (JDS5), coordinated by PP3 ICPDR and supported by several PPs and ASPs which are members of the ICPDR expert groups.
- "Water balance" project being currently submitted to the DRP 2021-2027 first call, which shares some PPs and ASPs with the Tethys project.
Selection of most relevant ongoing initiatives:
- EU Mission on Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
- Horizon Europe Water4All Partnership, Theme IV.I. Behaviour and effects of contaminants of emerging concern, IV.IV. Risk assessment and threshold values for protection of human health and ecosystems
- 6th EU Framework Programme NORMAN Network for the monitoring and biomonitoring of emerging environmental substances. (EN) | LP1 and the PPs will exploit to a maximum extent the expected synergies with ongoing national and international projects and initiatives in various fields of expertise. From the PROMISCES project, in which LP1 TU Wien leads the case study on the Upper Danube, Tethys strongly benefits with respect to the methodological advances in the chemical analysis of PFAS and to the ongoing monitoring and modelling of PFAS emissions in the Danube until Budapest, with focus on bank-filtration and on the risks for drinking water deriving from surface water pollution. In the SOS-WATER project, a hydrological model is under development for the DRB, which is planned to be further developed in the DTP “Water balance” project proposal. The two LPs have an agreement of collaboration, upon approval of both projects, to maximize harmonization and durability of tools at DRB-scale: Tethys would test and integrate as far as possible the hydrological data produced by Water balance in its transnational HS emission model and the PPs active in both projects would be in charge of regularly informing the other parties on the respective progress to identify and use further available synergies. The activities carried out within EU4Environment- Water Resources and Environmental Data in Ukraine and Moldova will improve quality and harmonization of essential datasets, such as CORINE land use data, for the transnational and national HS emission models in Tethys. Further, Tethys would start at the right time to provide input to and coordinate with PP3 ICPDR the preparation and implementation of the Joint Danube Survey 5 (JDS5) planned for 2025. This exchange and coordination would ensure that the JDS5 resources are effectively used to fill critical data and information gaps regarding hazardous substances emissions and concentrations. Moreover, synergies will be available with e.g. numerous project and initiatives dedicated to PFAS pollution and to new EU policies and regulatory challenges. (EN)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 937 185.18

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 349 748.14

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.00%

Co-financing sources:

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Sampling strategy and Standard Operating Procedure
Outcomes of the first interlaboratory comparison
Summary of the communication exchanges with key actors in the Danube countries
Road map towards enhanced public and cross-institutional data availability in the DRB
Updated structure of the HS transnational database
Standard operating procedure to set up national HS databases
Kick-off conference summary
Final conference summary
Technical set-up of the upgraded model
Technical set up of the model in the countries
Detailed summary of policies and external challenges considered in the assessment.
Intermediate report of communication and exchange with ICPDR expert groups
Proposal of HS list for transnational inventory of water pollution and emissions
Risk assessment and scenario analysis
Draft strategy

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EUStrategyDanubeRegion By addressing common challenges faced by EU and non-EU countries in the DRB and aiming to strengthen cooperation, to improve and harmonize tools, methods and policies, Tethys’ scope and objectives fit in perfectly with the EUSDR territorial and thematic scope. The solutions developed and adopted at national and international level contribute to Action 1, Action 3 and Action 7 of the priority area on water quality (PA4). Namely they support national authorities and the ICPDR in: i) further developing water information systems in the Danube Region, ii) in determining sources and pathways of hazardous and emerging substances emissions, iii) in quantifying water emissions and loads, iv) in comprehensively evaluating measures efficiency in ensuring consideration of climate change impacts in planning and measures. The pilot actions under Specific Objective 1 and 2 will have a strong and long-lasting capacity building component, thus contributing to PA4 targets of closing knowledge gaps in monitoring of hazardous and emerging substances in surface waters and of building capacity in modelling of HS pollution and also to PA 10 “institutional capacities and cooperation” targets of improving institutional capacity to provide high-quality public services and building capacities for efficient, effective and transparent public administration through e-Government/digitalisation of public services. Moreover, the critical evaluation of policies and challenges and of their implications for future HS management in the DRB, the harmonization of scope of substances for future HS inventories, the harmonization of tools for risk analyses and policy support and the joint development of a strategy to tackle complex challenges and targets of HS pollution in the DRB (to be adopted in the DRBMP 2027) significantly contribute to the target of PA10 of developing policy guidance for co-designing policies at all levels in the Danube Region and to multiple EUSDR targets of PA4.
EuropeanGreenDeal The overall objective of the EU Green Deal is to transform the EU’s economy for a sustainable future. With its Zero-pollution action plan for a toxic-free environment and the goal of preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity, it sets ambitious targets for the protection of the environment and, thus, also water resources. Tethys fits, hence, perfectly in this context in the area of water resources management, as only a holistic approach, covering the extensive understanding of the state-of-art of HS pollution, with identification and quantification of sources and pathways, being able to estimate their relevance and modelling their trends, builds a sound basis towards how to approach such ambitious goals in a complex matter at the policy level. To support this process, access to trustworthy transnational data and models is indispensable, and those will be delivered as Tethys outputs. Green Deal targets related to water are among others increasing water reuse, which is only possible when water quality meets set requirements concerning compounds of concern. Further, reduction at the source through e.g. revision of the Industrial Emission Directive and advance with the Safe and Sustainable by Design framework and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, will set stricter requirements towards chemicals produced and used, as well as more stringent emission thresholds. All those developments should in the future result in, among others, an improved status of water bodies, which can be monitored thanks to the methods, procedures, and increased institutional capacity provided by Tethys, and with the use of the new tools, aiding the evaluation of the efficiency of policy actions. Worth mentioning is also that the immediate results of the project, with regard to for instance PFAS and other emerging contaminants, will bring added value for policy makers in their selection of actions in the field of compounds of concern to be addressed with the highest urgency.
Other EU water-related Directives
Tethys contributes to the goals of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the main EU regulatory instrument for water management and to other specific legislation like Environmental Quality Standards Directive (EQSD), Groundwater Directive (GWD), Drinking Water Directive (DWD) and Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD). WFD requires the MS to develop RBMPs and implement a joint program of measures to achieve good status for all water bodies. In this respect, surface waters must meet minimum quality standards for selected pollutants, and the emissions of those substances into water must be reduced or phased out. All EU members adopted these requirements into national laws and non-EU countries of the DRB agreed to follow the same approach under the umbrella of the ICPDR. The recent proposed revisions of multiple above-mentioned Directives pose challenges to national authorities to meet the newly set targets due to extended scope of compounds, very low thresholds, and lack of adequate analytical procedures. Responding to the need of harmonised measurement and analysis approaches is one main motivation behind Tethys. The project will develop standard operation procedures (SOPs) for sampling and analysis of numerous compounds, including PFAS and selected pharmaceuticals. The latter is of importance for the EU Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment. While the PFAS focus in Tethys will benefit several important EU legislations under revision or development, as their negative impacts and need to proceed with urgent policy actions is highly recognized on the political agenda. Further, the revised policies introduce the requirement of using risk assessment, which is a big change in the river basin and water quality management. Tethys will deliver fully operational HS databases and models at national and transnational levels as tools for policymakers to carry out risk and scenario assessments.
Other Danube River Protection Convention
The objectives of Tethys are fully in line with the provisions and agreements of the Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC) that is implemented by the ICPDR. The DRPC, the main legal instrument for transboundary cooperation on water management in the Danube River Basin (DRB) emphasizes the urgent need for strengthened domestic and international measures to prevent, control and reduce significant adverse transboundary impact from the release of hazardous substances into the aquatic environment within the DRB with due attention also given to the Black Sea. Inter alia, the DRPC requires to control the input of hazardous substances to surface and groundwater bodies from both point and non-point sources by appropriate legal provisions and emission limits.
Other Sustainable Development Goals
Of particular relevance is Tethys' contribution to Goal 6, which seeks to ensure safe access to water by the year 2030. The following sub-goals will especially be contributed to:
- 6.3 that addresses the improvement of water quality by reducing pollution,
- 6.5 aiming at the implementation of integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation,
- 6.6 on protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems, including among others rivers,
- 6.A that aims to expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programs.
Tethys will develop practical tools, which serve the evaluation of water pollution and estimation of risks to water quality and thus provide the basis for improvement of the status-quo situation. It strengthens considerably the implementation of holistic and integrated water resources management by covering all necessary elements, i.e. improved monitoring, comprehensive and transparent data inventorying, modelling, risk assessment and scenario analysis, and finally policy assessment to define most suitable management strategies for the DRB-wide level and single countries. These actions will support better protection and restoration of the ecosystem in the RDB and help non-EU countries to bring their water pollution management to a higher development level through a strengthened transnational cooperation and involvement in the hands-on project work and experience exchange.
Furthermore, as Danube is the second-longest rivers in Europe flowing into the Black Sea, Tethys will also contribute in the longer term to Goal 14 focused on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. A lower load of pollutants flowing into the Black See through this important river will contribute to reduced pollution and lower water quality-related risks for its marine environment.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 116 - Jointly developed solutions, Measurement unit:
RCO 084 - Pilot actions developed jointly and implemented in projects, Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 104 - Solutions taken up or up-scaled by organisations, Measurement unit:
RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Programme Result Indicator:

ISI - Organisations with increased institutional capacity due to their participation in cooperation activities across the borders, Measurement unit: No. of organisations

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSDR

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B Danube

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2024-12-18

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

82 / 82 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

910 / 910 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Coordinated Danube Action for the titanic endeavor of tackling hazardous substances water pollution under changing pressures, challenges and targets

Description

Thematic information

Partners (13)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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