Chronicle of struggle for saving of Danube Biosphere reservation

6th of August 2004
The channel construction in Bistroe estuary was hard criticized by Ecological fund "Euronatur" (Germany).
("LIGABusinessInform" reported)

10th of August 2004
The International Commission on Protection of Danube river in response to treatment of "Ecopravo-Lvov" has confirmed its worry about possible negative influence of building of channel thorough Bistroe estuary to environment of Black Sea and Danube river.

Considering that positions of Danube Convention require exchange of information comparatively scheduled activity Comission as far back as December 2003 had taken the resolution expressible the anxiety by this project, having required from government of Ukraine to give information about possible influence upon environment. The grave was made on necessity of the all-round estimation of the influence upon environment from construction of the channel.

At the beginning of the June 2004 the Commission has directed the letter to Ukraine once more again with the requirement to stop bottom deepening work until undertaking the international estimation and discussing the influence on environment as the Danube Convention requires.

In the middle of July President of Danube Comission Katerin Day (acted also as the representative of European commission) and Filipp Veller (the executive secretary of Danube commissions) had a meeting with undersecretary of the foreign deals of Ukraine. There was contracted that all the information about the project and estimations of its influence upon environment will be given to Danube commission for expert analysis. Danube and European commission had got some documentation.

In the same time Commission asked to stop realization of the project until this documentation will be evaluated. But it has not happened.

The estimation of these documents by Danube Commission has shown that it is not enough for estimation of the harm to the nature and it do not meet the demands for exchange of information according to Danube Conventions norm.

Danube Commission has declared that Ukraine has broken their requirements for exchange of information in accordance with to Danube Conventions norm. That is why given question will be considered at the meeting of working group of Danube Commission in September of this year.
("Ekopravo-Lvov" reported)

13th of August 2004
During visit in Romania Gerhard Shreder has criticized severely the construction by Ukraine the channel through Bistroe estuary, having named it irresponsible action.

The Chancellor of Germany thinks of construction of the channel should be continued only after it will be conclusively installed that project will not damage to Danube Biosphere Reservation. By the way Shreder declared that his government couldn't forbid to german company Moebius to take part in the project.

The Vice-chairman of Administration of President of Ukraine V. Baziv has done an assumption that the statement of the Chancellor of Germany is caused by his lack of information in given question.
(Yurii Gromnisky - BBC, Kiev; "The German wave" and "LIGABusinessInform" reported)

On the eve of visit of the Chancellor romanian newspapers reported that that Bucharest does not except the construction of the new channel on its territory Such construction of the channel can cause the water level reduction in ukrainian channel whereupon it will become unfit for navigation.
(Yurii Gromnisky - BBC, Kiev; "The German wave" and "LIGABusinessInform" reported)

16th of August 2004
Ministry of International Businesses of Ukraine has organized for Romanian attache the trip to the place of construction on Bistroe estuary.
("Ekopravo-Lvov" reported)

18th of August 2004
The President of Congress of local and regional self-government of Council of Europe Jovanni Di Stazi have officially voiced the anxiety in construction by Ukraine the channel in Bistroe estuary.
("Maidan-INFORM" reported)

20th of August 2004
The Eurocommission has spread the press-relise, which informed about its worry in the construction of the channel.

Brussels is alarmed by this construction, first of all, because of that gets through the territory of international reservation of UNESKO. The Commission worried that Ukraine has not done the all-round estimation and has not conducted public discussion of question how the construction of the channel influence upon environment.

According to conclusion of Eurocommission, the construction of the channel in this conditions can cause significant and irreparable harm to ecological system of the Danube delta.Brussels reminds, that hereunder Ukraine does not keep several international obligations. In particular these are Convention about protection Danube river, Convention about estimation of the influence upon surrounding environment in transborder context and Convention about water-marsh land having an international value.
("LIGABusinessInform" reported)

Romania applied to Organization of United Nations with request to appoint the commission for study ecological the consequence of given project.
("LIGABusinessInform" reported)

The Speaker of State Department USA Adam Ereli has declared that Kiev practically ignored the precautions from USA, European Union, Romania and international environmental organization comparatively construction of the channel through Bistroe estuary.
("LIGABusinessInform" reported)

140 romanian organizations have conducted the demonstration in Bucharest against building of the channel through Bistroe estuary. More than 500 persons, some of which carried the figures of pelican and sturgeon, have passed to the ukrainian embassy corresponding with the situation open letter.
("Gazeta.Ru" reported)

26th of August 2004
Ministry of International Businesses of Ukraine directed to Romania and other concerned party additional information about constructions of the channel through Bistroe estuary at the context of using natural recourses in delta of Danube river.

To Romania were directed materials containing estimation of the influence upon environment of the making the deep-water way Danube-Black sea on ukrainian area of the delta, comparative table of alternative variant of places of the deep-water ship way passing, scientific ecological-expert estimation and conclusion of the state ecological expert operation.

Besides of that the information was received by others states and international organizations potentially interested in subject familiarization with situation around reconstruction by Ukraine deep-water ship way Danube-Black sea. There are Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Bulgaria, Horvatiya, Czech, Hungary, Moldavia, Serbia, Slovakia, Russia, USA, as well as Organization of United Nations, NATO and Council of Europe.
("Ekopravo-Lvov" reported)

President of Ukraine has opened the navigable way through Bistroe estuary.
The President of Romania Ion Iliesky has conducted emergency meeting with Premier Adrian Nestase and some other Ministers. In result participants came to conclusion that situation with opening of the first queue of navigable channel "Danube - Black sea" compels them to apply to International court in Gaaga.
("Gazeta.Ru" reported)

Ukrainian Republic Party "Sobor" has espoused the construction of a sluice variant of the channel Danube - Black sea.

URP "Sobor" realizes quip need of the reconstruction of navigation at ukrainian part of Danube estuary which has provided strategic interests of our state and served to rebirth of closed to Danube ports Reni, Ismail,Kilii, Vilkovo.

"In the same time we point to the fact that the present variant of construction was elected contrary to all the positions of National Academies of the Sciences of Ukraine without proper ecological and economic motivation. There were hardly infringed laws of Ukraine and international obligations of our state in the channel construction", - is spoken in statement of URP "Sobor"

In this connection members of URP "Sobor" declare: "realized variant of the navigable channel serves just for departmental interests of Ministry of Transport of Ukraine as far as foresees the constant large bottom deepening work which will require to significant annual budgetary infusion. The realization of construction has once more again shown that there is profoundly non-law system of authorities in Ukraine when procedures provided by law have no power but adoption of decisions are got only by direct lobby in high cabinet".

URP "Sobor" is sure: "beginning of exploitations of the channel in Bistroe estuary does not take out of agenda need construction of sluice variant of channel passing-by Danube Biosphere Reservation as far as the variant will allow not only to save the nature but also to provide intensive, constant, not hung from whimsies of the weather navigation in ukrainian part of Danube mouth".
("LIGABusinessInform" reported)