Looking back: Yesterday’s hybrid stakeholder event on the Integrated Sediment Management Plan was a resounding success!

It was an inspiring day of collaboration with DanubeSediment_Q2 (Interreg) in cooperation with DANUBE4all Project and the Danube Region Strategy , guided by welcome remarks from Helmut Habersack (BOKU) and Andrea Vranovská (EUSDR Water Quality), and a thought-provoking keynote by Wouter van de Bund (European Commission JRC Marine Environment Unit).
A special shout-out to Robert Lichtner (Head of the Danube Strategy Point, EUSDR) for fantastic moderation that kept the discussions focused and insightful.

The morning’s session spotlighted the DanubeSediment_Q2 project’s goals—especially the creation of a basin-wide ISMP—and included expert insights from Key Stakeholders such as Samo Groselj (Sava Commission). Primož Skrt (GWP‑CEE) introduced the DANUBE4all project, followed by Agnes Tahy’s overview of Danube Water Balance, Marcel Liedermann’s Aquatic Plastic update, Baranya Sándor on iNNO SED Project, and Mike Morris from the EcoAdvance (Horizon Europe) project. These diverse contributions underscored the breadth of interdisciplinary efforts shaping our work.

In the afternoon, we engaged in interactive workshop streams covering system analysis, system characterisation, multi criteria assessment, ISMP, and DBRAP, expertly chaired by Marlene Haimann (BOKU), Allison O Reilly and Primož Skrt. The collective energy, rich discussions, and shared insights throughout the day reaffirmed the critical role of stakeholder-driven and science-based processes in effective sediment and river restoration across the Danube Basin.

A warm thank-you to everyone who joined in-person and online—your participation continues to propel our mission forward.

📷 M. Scheiber (BOKU) & C. Gruber (BOKU)