International Meuse Commission: 20 years of cooperation

ABSTRACT

Following the adoption of the Water Convention in Helsinki in 1992 and the Water Framework Directive in 2000, states located within a transboundary river basin were invited to set up basin organizations. The International Meuse Commission (IMC) was set up in 2002, under an agreement between France, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Over the last 20 years, the IMC has been a forum for exchange, coordination and cooperation between the riparian countries, leading to improvements in the water quality of the Meuse, reduction of obstacles for migratory fish, and establishment of cross-border systems to prevent accidental pollution and flooding.

KEYWORDS:

• Integrated Water Resource Management
• transboundary cooperation
• Water Framework Directive

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).