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Challenges to be addressed in the catchment area

The Tisa Catchment Area stretches to the eastern half of the Carpathian Basin and is flanked by the interior ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The territory of 157 thousand square kilometres is rich in natural resources; water, both surface and sub-surface, abundant mineral deposits; fertile soil, excellent climatic conditions for farming; precious architectural, artistic and natural monuments; peoples of cultural, ethnic, national diversity.

This same area, however, tormented by natural and technological disasters (floods, forest fires, draught, wind-storm and industrial explosions, toxic pol-lutions) as well as by wars and animosities has suffered tremendous losses too. The deposits of mines are gradually exhausted. Within five years, from 1995 to 2000 the woodland decreased by no less than 16 % (from 46,572 km2 to 39,181 km2). Large stretches of land have become unproductive because of subsequent draughts and floods, pollutions; wastewater has contaminated the waters, neglect and un-thoughtful developments resulted the decay and even the vanishing of historic monuments; the obtrusive and by now often derelict manufacturing, mining and infrastructure developments have devoured most beautiful landscapes. And the territory is losing from its most precious resource, people too.

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Project background

In March 2001, after two significant waves of pollution that arrived from Romania and spread along the Tisa river and certain streams in its catch-ment area and caused ecological disaster, the decision of the Ministerial Committee of the European Council asked the concerned states (Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia and Ukraine) to cooperate in order to prevent cases similar to the disasters affecting the Tisza/Tisa and Szamos/Someș rivers, including the potential elaboration of an agreement under the auspices of the European Council.

The five countries situated in the Tisa river basin agreed with the appeal and undertook cooperation in this issue. With the active participation of the European Council, the “Expert Group” of experts delegated by the above countries as well as other international organisations concerned prepared the basic document of cooperation entitled “Initiative on Sustainable Spatial Development of the Tisa River Basin”, which the five countries concerned adopted unanimously.

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With signing the “Initiative”, joint work started. For the coordinated contin-uation and extension of the work the responsible ministries and planning institutes of the partner states submitted a successful application to the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme. In June 2009 the implementation of the project started with the cooperation 14 organisa-tions from the five affected countries and the Tisa Group of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR).

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Partners

The project builds on the active participation of partner organisations with different profile. Regional and local development agencies, planning and scientific institutes, public authorities and ministries take part of the imple-mentation. The Lead Partner of the project is the VATI Hungarian Nonprofit Limited Liability Company for Regional Development and Town Planning.

Further partners are: • South Great Plain Regional Development Agency (Hungary) • National Institute for Research and Development in Construction,

Urban Planning and Sustainable Spatial Development (Romania) • Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca Faculty of Geography (Romania) • Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism (Romania) • Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the

Slovak Republic (Slovak republic) • Slovak Environmental Agency (Slovak Republic) • PC „Institute for Town Planning in Vojvodina” (Republic of Serbia) • University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture (Republic of Serbia) • University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences

(Republic of Serbia) • State Enterprise Ukrainian State Scientific-Research Institute of Urban

Design “Dipromisto” named after Y.M.Bilokon (Ukraine)

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• Regional Centre for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Subotica, LLC Subotica (Republic of Serbia)

• Agency of Regional Development and Cross-border Co-operation “Transcarpathia” (Ukraine)

Observer Partners: • Ministry of Interior Affairs (Hungary) • Provincial Secretariat of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry

(Republic of Serbia) • International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River –

ICPDR – Tisza Group (Austria) • Public Water Management Company Vode Vojvodine

(Republic of Serbia)

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Aim of the project

The aim of the Tisa Catchment Area Development – TICAD – trans-national project is to contribute to the harmonisation of the integrated territorial developments implemented in the river basin, to facilitate the creation of a sustainable economic structure, the optimal utilisation of natural and cultural resources, the development of areas of competitive growth and to promote the establishment of the internal and external functional interdependencies of the network of settlements.

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Project activities

The project began with the definition of a common methodology and the compilation of a data base for territorial analysis. On this basis the partners elaborated an analysis of the territorial processes, issues and perspectives of the national parts of the Tisza catchment area. The national contributions were then integrated into a synthesis describing the geographical, social, economic as well as physical features of the Tisza catchment area high-lighting the diversity of the settlement pattern, the potentials and barriers of development, the conflicts between potential abundance and recessive factors, the values of the landscape and the shortage of maintenance. The territorial characteristics have been mapped to facilitate the overall survey and comparative analysis and to identify the spatial context and scope of the various problems, conflicts and issues. This transnational synthesis is a significant output of the collaboration and serves as the basis for the elabo-ration of the joint transnational strategy for the sustainable development of the Tisza catchment area.

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This CD contains

• the transnational synthesis of the territorial analysis of the catchment area, elaborated on the basis of a unified and adopted methodology and

• the national study of the section of catchment area within the national borders of Hungary in English and in Hungarian.