International agreements contribute the navigation on the upper flow of Tisza
Дата публикации: Mar 08, 2011 11:13:24 AM
With the purpose to develop the economic potential of the Danube river basin, the European Commission, at the end of 2010, has proposed the Strategy for the Danube Region, which covers territory of 8 EU Member States and 6 other European countries. This Strategy will focus on concrete actions in the priority directions, such as the improvement of navigability, improvement of water quality, security cooperation and development of tourism opportunities. To realize the Strategy in regions, in the beginning of February in Budapest, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn together with Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, has announced the list of countries and regions where the actions planned for implementation. European politics declared their support in Danube Strategy realization with correspondence with operation programs and identification of financial resources for other countries-members, strategic partners and NGOs. Eleven priority areas have been identified. The Strategy aims at a strong cooperation between countries, making a more optimal use of all EU resources. Countries which participate in the EU Strategy for the Danube Region: Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria), Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine.
For many countries transportation of transit loads through the territory became the important source of services exports, currency revenues to the budget, creation of additional workplaces. The issue of a transit development is very important in the European transport policy. It stipulates the permanent increase of transnational streams and international transit of loads. Its confirmation is development of international transport corridors on the main directions of transnational transportations. Therefore, one of the priority directions of the Transcarpathian region is support of integration processes, which provides free movement of goods, services, capital and labor force. With this purpose Transcarpathian Regional Council in partnership with International Association "IARDI" (www.iardi.org) has developed the project and submitted it for financing in the frame of European Union Program of ENPI Hungary- Slovakia - Romania - Ukraine 2007-2013. The project aimed to development of the studies and researches of possibilities, conditions and threats in the field of navigation on the upper Tisza, development of feasibility study of river port building near Chop city, development and approval an International convention relating to navigation on Tisa river, development of the concept of creation infrastructure services for the development of small and medium business, and also studying the conditions of tourism development on the territories of Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia.
The very important factor of this initiative is support by national and regional authorities, local self-governments, private sector and public from neighboring countries. Local authorities of Hungarian Saboltch - Satmar - Bereg region and Slovakian Kosice region, with Euroregional association "Carpathian Euroregion" and its regional representatives in Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia, supported the project of Transcarpathian Regional Council. Active position of interregional initiative was expressed by professional and public organizations, which are as follows: Hungarian Association of Navigators, Association of Regional Development "КIUT" ( Hungary) , and Regional Agency of Innovations ( Slovakia).
The project is the part of Regional Strategy of Transcarpathion region till 2015, Strategy of cross-border cooperation "Carpathians 2003-2011", which corresponds with Ukraine National Strategy of Regional Development 2004-2015, National Strategic Framework Recommendations of Hungary 2007-2013, National Strategic Framework Recommendations of Slovakia Republic 2007-2013. Objectives, which are solved by the project, are corresponded with the decision of European Conference of Ministers Committee, responsible for the regional/spatial planning (СЕМАТ), and also decisions of the extended meeting of СЕМАТ working group on realization of Initiative of the permanent spatial development of Tisza river basin.
Development and building the infrastructure on Tisza river attracts investors from year to year. Earlier, previous researches in the firld of possibility of navigation were conducted by different proper institutions and organizations, as well as from Ukrainian and Hungarian side. Through the Networking of Chambers of Commerce and Industries the Hungarian "Commercial proposal on creation of Zahony Industrial Park" was declared, one of element of this proposal is river port establishment. The British-Swiss Company "Vorskla Steel" and financial-industrial group "Finances and Credit" have expressed their interest in metallurgical plant and river port construction near the Hungarian city Zahony. The terms of river port project development have been discussed with the "Rivertransproject" design-searching and design-engineering institute of river transport. Basic calculations were developed, according to which the capacity of processing would be 1 million tones loads per year. "Zakarpatinterport" LTD with partnership of "Variant-Logistic" LTD were the initiators of port building. Today Russian investors demonstrate great interest in building of river port near Chop.Concerning to the joint use of Tisza river basin, from the Hungarian side Oscar Shestack, President of Sabolch-Satmar-Bereg Region Assembly and from Ukrainian side Ivan Baloha and Oleksandr Ledyda, Heads of Transcapathian Regional Council and Regional Administration expressed their interests by signing the bilateral Program of development of cross-border economic and cultural collaboration on 2011-2012 dated on the 8 February 2011. In addition, Congress of Europe Council called upon the European Union within the framework of future Danube Strategy to develop the macroeconomic program for Carpathians, and also to work out strategic document for Carpathian area. Work on preparation of such program from the side of European structures has been already begun. Therefore it is very important, that the Hungarian side, that presiding in European Union at present time, should activate this process, as there is mutual interests of two border countries expresses in this program. On the 15th of February 2011 in Uzhhorod, the meeting within the framework of chairmanship of Ukraine in International Commission on Danube river defence had been held/ At this meeting the question on preparation for meeting of the Ministers of Environment of 5 countries (Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine) which is planned on the 11th of April 2011 in Uzhhorod had been discussed. Signing of Memorandum to the Integrated Plan of Tisza Basin Management will become the key point of the this meeting. During the Meeting of Ministries the most important ecological questions, and questions of permanent water control providing and their rational use, as well as possibilities of navigation development on the upper flow of Tisza will be discussed.
Danube Strategy supports different forms of collaboration aimed to the best solutions of various problems of floods and biological destructions variety. Also new possibilities can be formed, among them: ways of improvement of navigation on the rivers and improvement of national energy markets, in order to prevent the lack of electric power and fuel. Therefore, Transcarpathian region within the framework of the macroeconomic program " Carpathian Area" is very interested in organization of cargo and passenger transportations on the prospect by water-way, but their organization is possible only in condition of opening the Ukrainian area of Tisza for an international navigation, for what it is necessary to foresee the conclusion of corresponding international agreements with such countries of Tisza basin as Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia.
International Association "IARDI"
Vadym Pylypenko