Abstract
With 2857 km in length, the quiet Danube quietly tells Europe’s history. We only must be aware of its story. Since ancient times it was connected with empires, expansion, and navigation. The Romans fully understood its role, and proceeded accordingly. They made it their border, but used it for transporting goods and military, too. After the Dark Ages, all European affairs have been in one way or another connected and influenced by the Danube. Romania’s modern history was influenced by the evolution of international problems connected to this river. The Moldavia and Wallachia 1859’s unification in a single state – Romania – had lot to do with the Danube and it was involved in London’s interests in the Oriental Question. The paper presents shortly the way the legal framework regarding the Danube was developed, and what was Romania’s role in facilitating navigation on the Danube. The main data which inspired this work – regarding both the political-legal aspects, and the technical solutions used to facilitate navigation on Danube – are based on earlier writings and studies of Romanian thinkers such as Antipa, Baicoianu, Dascovici and Gogeanu. The evolution of these aspects has a direct or an indirect connection with the evolution of political events and the economic development in all European states, but their importance is crucial especially for those countries which are located in the Danube’s basin. The main text regarding the political aspects related to the Danube is the Belgrade Convention, which has been the general framework under which riparian countries come together to collaborate and to solve the technical impediments for navigation, such as those imposed by the building of the Iron Gate System. At the same time, this paper signals the role of education in understanding the Danube’s role for riparian countries, and for their possible evolution in connection with this river.
Highlights
Danube is a river which flows from Western Europe to its Eastern part, creating a natural corridor through its middle; it is the only natural route passing through the center of the European continent to its Easter region
There are three different means of improving the navigation on the Danube river: one is legal, the second is technical, and the third – which I consider of utmost importance – is that one which is correlated with the consciousness of the people from the riparian states, regarding the importance of the Danube for their country. Using this river’s potential is connected to international conventions regarding navigation and transport, or technical improvements focusing on dams, locks, and ships, but to the people from the riparian states and their deep understanding of the Danube’s importance for their country; and this has to do with their education
The technical solution of the Iron Gate System has two interconnected principles and parts: facilitating cooperation among riparian states through improving the navigation conditions, and using the water’s potential to generate electricity by two neighbouring and friend countries. This solution was the best, it combined the general interests of navigation with the special interests of Romania and Yugoslavia related to energy production
Summary
Danube is a river which flows from Western Europe to its Eastern part, creating a natural corridor through its middle; it is the only natural route passing through the center of the European continent to its Easter region. After the Enlightenment, and especially after the Crimean War in 1856, different countries started to look at the Danube in a manner which was quite different from the situation peculiar before This is exactly the period when Romania started to “appear” on Europe’s map, with its great geopolitical potential. Romania’s geopolitical position and her economic and national advances depend in a crucial manner on the free navigation on the Danube Even her appearance on the map as a modern state was directly connected with this river. The main decision regarding technical facilitation was taken in Belgrade in 1948, when the Danube Convention was concluded by the riparian states With this occasion, it was the first time that non-riparian states were excluded from participating in the affairs regarding the Danube. Using this river’s potential is connected to international conventions regarding navigation and transport, or technical improvements focusing on dams, locks, and ships, but to the people from the riparian states and their deep understanding of the Danube’s importance for their country; and this has to do with their education
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