The International Scientific Forum “Danube – River of Cooperation” (ISF – “DRC”), held its Seventh Conference from September 28th to October 31st 1995, in Belgrade, Smederevo and Vršac. The activities were organized in scientific plenary sessions, four round table-conferences, and in an art workshop and exhibition. The Seventh conference has fulfilled all it’s aims.

The basic aim of the ISF “DRC”, affirming the idea of peaceful mutual life-paths, tolerance and cooperation among peoples in the Danube-region took a step forward. The possibilities of solving mutual problems of the Danube-region-countries in the fields of economy, culture and environment were discussed among the invited 44 foreign and 39 domestic participants. They presented 37 papers and 23 art-works. In addition, many guests and observers were present and participated in the activities of the Seventh Conference (the exhibition “River Art” from September 28th to October 31st had 10.000 visitors, the round-table conferences in Smederevo and Vršac included many guests and observers from these local-regions).

The special aim of the Seventh Conference was to improve the activity of the Yugoslav non-
governmental organization – the ISF “DRC” as an informal body of regional and inter-regional cooperation in this part of the European continent. In this sense, new ties with organizations in the fields of sciences, economy and culture, both international and national, were established. A valuable fact is that for the first time in the seven-year-long activities of the ISF “DRC”, the official representative of the Council of Europe took part in it. Mr. Benno Zierer expressed an interest in cooperation between the Commission of the CE and the ISF “DRC” taking in account the new Danube Charter which is being prepared by the Commission for environment, regional planning and local authorities. Another valuable recognition and strong moral support for the whole activity of the ISF “DRC” was the presentation by Dr. Otto Weber to Dr. Edita Stojić the Medal of the Romanian Parliament for her personal involvement and enthusiasm in founding the ISF “DRC” and managing it’s activities for so many years.

The Seventh Conference ended its work with the adopting of the following

Conlusions

As stated in our former Declarations we strongly reject war. We plead once again for peace, stability and international cooperation based on mutual dependence as preconditions for the progress of human society. We also repeat our demand for abolishing all the barriers and restrictions concerning the free movement of people, ideas, goods and capital in the whole Danube-region.

Economic poverty, urgent social problems (unemployment, growth of pauperization, high number of homeless people, deteriorating health situation, etc.) have been worsened in a drastic way by war – requiring financial and technical support of the short, medium and long term programs coming both from inside and outside the Danube-region.

In the field of economy the following conclusions were made:

1. The continual cooperation and a coordinated approach to development are necessary through existing and new organizations recognizing the new shape of Europe.
2. The modernization and development of the region’s economy through a combination of internal reforms and external investments should be achieved.
3. The protection and promotion of sustainable development and trade along the Danube utilizing the opportunities created by the Rhine-Main link to support the economic integration from the Black to the North Sea are in the interest of all nations in the region, as well as their partners from other parts of the world.
4. More radical economic and social reforms are needed in the eastern part of the region in order to include those countries more intensively in the courses of modernization.
5. We repeat our suggestion for the creation of some kind of “New Program of European Recovery” (NPER) for the countries whose economies are moving toward market economies.
6. It is stated that direct capital investment from developed countries to the Danubian Central and Eastern countries is very important today for the transition and modernization of their economies. There exists a close connection between the main way of direct capital investment and the privatization of the state property in these countries. There are some positive and some negative experiences of the effects and consequences of these processes. The countries of the less developed part of the Danube-region should exchange their experiences among themselves, so they can learn from each other and so achieve their short-term and long-term national and regional economic and socioeconomic interests.
7. It is necessary to improve cooperation among communities and cities in the Danube-region on urbanizing the river-banks belt of the Danube, constructing and brightening harbors, store-house spaces, in the field of urbanity and space development of the cities, and construction of infrastructure objects. The same is true for the development and use of free custom zones – as was stated at our earlier conferences.

Conclusions and recommendations concerning environmental problems in the region are as follows:

1. The quality of human life is of mutual interest for all Danubian countries. Having in mind almost all sorts of pollution and in surface and ground waters, the mutual interests of Danubian countries for environmental quality and protection must include water, air and ground in the region.
2. In agreement with this, it is necessary to make a global program for the protection of the Danube region.
3. Because of the high degradation level of the water quality of the Danube and it’s tributaries especially in Yugoslavia and downstream countries, it is necessary to realize detailed overall projects for rehabilitation of these rivers.
4. Having in mind the complexity of the Danube water protection problems, it is necessary to use the experience from similar work on other trans-boundary rivers such as the Rhine rehabilitation program.
5. As the downstream users of the Danube water are underdeveloped countries, cooperation with upstream developed countries must be achieved for:
   1. improvement of research methodology (equipment, information systems etc) as a base for the creation of protection measures,
   2. education,
   3. mutual investigations, especially in the sectors of the flow of special interest.
6. Concern for environmental quality protection must include an ecologically adapted infrastructure for “sustainable development” of all Danubian countries. This means directing future investments towards clean technologies and activities in the region.
7. Since the Danube region is unique in Europe it is essential to protect and rehabilitate it’s special properties and bio-diversity. Burden and costs of the Danube protection must be fairly divided among all countries from the outset.

In the field of culture, as it was stated at our earlier conferences, too, we believe that we need a general plan of research on a multilateral basis and a concrete plan of action. We propose to establish a regional base for a higher education network, thereby possibly including and involving the new generation in the Danubian countries’ problems.

Once again, we insist on the need for inter-regional cooperation. In addition to the turn without delay towards improving the mutual regional cooperation inside the Danube-region, it is necessary to develop a practical interaction with other existing regional components, the Balkan, Adriatic, Mediterranean, Black-sea cooperation, and others. The cooperation with neighboring regions, would help to resolve the existing political, ethnic and other tensions in the Danube-region and its surrounding, and at the same time it would promote the economic and cultural development of the peoples living here.

For the future activities of the ISF “DRC”, the following propositions were accepted:

1. The long-term research project of the ISF “DRC” in the next period till the year 2000 should be “For a sustainable development on the Danube (Economic cooperation in the Danube-region: the potentials and their use)”. In the framework of this project the following short-term projects should be prepared:
   1. “The integrative role of traffic and communications in the Danube region”
   2. “Commercial regimes of the Danube-countries and possibilities for improving trade relations in the region”
   3. “Free-custom zones on the Danube (Competition or cooperation)”
   4. “Financial and monetary relations among the Danube-countries”
   5. “Cooperation in culture and education (Possibilities and goals)”
2. Round-table conferences should be held on:
   1. Special themes in connection with the projects mentioned above.
   2. Bilateral round-table conferences on the topics of the interest for two Danube countries.
3. The modern-art project should be continued with new ideas and new partner-institutions.
4. A multi-ethnic, multimedia cultural expedition along the Danube was proposed.
5. Realization of the scientific-educational film “The birth of the Danube” (presenting the geological history of the Danube-region in 30 minutes by computer animation).

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In the fulfillment of all this and first of all in the development of consciousness in order to achieve better mutual understanding, tolerance and international cooperation, scientists, other experts, creators and project-authors, as well as all sympathizers from the region and from the whole world may contribute with their efforts through the activities of the ISF “Danube – River of Cooperation”.