Sustainable Tourism Law

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN THE DANUBE REGION 701 subject to a long-term protection as well as protection zones valuable for existing or future drinking water supply purposes; (b) prevent the pollution of groundwater resources, especially those in a long-term perspective reserved for drinking water supply, in particular caused by nitrates, plant protection agents and pesticides as well as other hazardous substances; (c) minimise by preventive and control measures the risks of accidental pollution; (d) take into account possible influences on the water quality resulting from planned activities and ongoing measures pursuant to Article 3 paragraph 2; (e) evaluate the importance of different biotope elements for the riverine ecology and propose measures for improving the aquatic and littoral ecological conditions (Art. 6 of the Danube River Protection Convention). (2) To manage environmental risks – Due to climate change and extreme weather phenomena affecting Europe, all the countries of the Danube Region expressed their common intention to strengthen cooperation in preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters such as massive floods or industrial accidents. At European level, the European Civil Protection Mechanism was established in 2001 to support the mobilisation of emergency assistance in the event of major disasters. The Mechanism can be activated in response to any type of natural or man-made disaster, such as earthquakes, floods, forest fires, technological or radiological accidents, accidental marine pollution or terrorist attacks. It currently includes all 28 Member States in addition to Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey 46 . The Mechanism is open to candidate countries and also cooperates with other regional organisations and third countries. In the area of civil protection, the EuropeanCommission and Participating States are taking an integrated approach to disaster management including prevention, preparedness and response 47 . When it comes to flood prevention, the EU Floods Directive 2007/60/EC provides a legal framework for a coordinated approach to assessing and managing flood risks. Article 7(2) FD stipulates that Member States shall establish appropriate objectives for the management of flood risks for the areas identified under article 5(1) and the areas covered by article 13(1) 46 See: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection/mechanism_en. 47 EUSDR Action Plan, p. 40.