OSCE urges comprehensive approach to water governance

VIENNA - Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) member states need to have a more comprehensive approach to solving water governance issues, concluded the participants of a preparatory meeting of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Vienna.

The Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Vuk Zugic, noted Tuesday that the devastating floods that hit Western Balkan countries last year showed the importance of transboundary co-operation in case of natural disasters, said an official OSCE press release sent to Tanjug.

"Our vision is to promote dialogue on good water governance in the OSCE area, through the sharing of best practices and lessons learned," Zugic said.

Stana Bozovic, State Secretary of the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, who took part in the forum, told Tanjug in Vienna that the OSCE member states bound themselves to greater commitment to water as the chief global resource.

With regards to environmental protection, we particularly bound ourselves to regional cooperation on water and water governance, in particular on the Danube River and all its tributaries, she said.

Greater regional cooperation and exchange of information in the region on prevention and climate change is what will be working on in particular, she said.

Serbia is currently working on a funding strategy for the environment, Bozovic said.

We know that it requires around EUR 10.5 billion and that we will get money from EU and IPA funds and international organisations, and we will have loans, Bozovic said, adding that Serbia must also secure budget funds for this purpose.

The two-day OSCE forum, which ended on Tuesday, brought together around 200 officials of...