Transboundary Water Cooperation for Sustainable Development of the Sava River Basin

Abstract

Transboundary water cooperation is an essential prerequisite to implement the basin approach and the principles of integrated water resources management, as a basis for efficient and sustainable development and management of water resources in international basins. Principles of transboundary water cooperation within river basins were laid down in the UNECE Water Convention and further promoted by recent processes, led by European Union (e.g., development of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region). In the Sava River Basin, the cooperation framework has been provided by the development of the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (FASRB) and the establishment of the International Sava River Basin Commission, as a joint body with responsibility to coordinate the implementation. The FASRB has already shown to be a good framework for cooperation of the Parties (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia) on integrated water resources management, by adding a considerable value to the national efforts. The cooperation process based on the FASRB implementation, which is presented in this chapter, is perceived as a process providing multiple benefits for the Parties and a good basis for further progress toward the key objective—sustainable development of the region within the Sava River Basin.