The Danube region and the determinants of the climate change policy

Abstract

In terms of resources and development potential, the Danube river basin region, including nineteen countries, is one of the most important regions of the EU. The Danube Strategy is an important foothold, frame and instrument of development policy and regional cooperation. The second pillar of the Danube Strategy, with its three priority areas, is related to the environmental protection of the region, including the climate change. The main objective of this paper is to examine if any presumptions exist for defining common policies of the countries of the region in the area of climate changes. Accordingly, the paper presents basic elements relevant for understanding the situation in the field of climate change in the countries of the Danube region (emissions of green­house gases, emission tendencies, indicators of hazards due to climate change, the share of nuclear energy production, participation in international treaties, and the EU membership or the prospects of the EU membership), as well as an overview of EU objectives on climate change ('2020'). In conclusion, it is estimated that the possibility of defining a common climate change policy of the Danube region countries are limited, primarily due to the huge differences in the level of economic development and the related respective interests. However, the existing cooperation framework, defined by international treaties on and relevant to climate change, provide the basis for cooperation and joint action of the countries, especially in the part referent to climate change adaptation measures. The EU membership of the countries in the region, or the prospects for this organization membership of the countries of the region, as well as the leading position of the EU in the field of climate change policies, further support this conclusion.