Journal of Danubian Studies and Research, Vol 7, No 1 (2017)

Abstract

The Danube River has always been a major concern of the great European powers, riparian or not. All the more the riparian countries, small and medium-sized, with little economic, political and military potential, have permanently sought the best ways and means to preserve their related rights to this important watercourse, offered by their geographical and obviously strategic position. Naturally, over the years, the collision of these interests, both economic and political, resulted in various regulations with the declared purpose of establishing a certain order in the multitude of claims, the real purpose being to provide advantages to the strong.

Because of this, the agreements, treaties and conventions concluded almost exclusively concerned the navigation regime, access conditions for different categories of ships, taxes, contributions etc.

The Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River (Convention for the Protection of the Danube River), signed in Sofia on 29 June 1994, is a turning point for the attitude to the great river.

In this article we intend to examine briefly the cooperation of the signatories of the Convention for the Protection of the Danube, according to the regulations contained in this important document of public international law.