Members and organization

The DABLAS Task Force brings together the Black Sea and Danube countries with the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), the Black Sea Commission, the IFIs (EBRD, EIB, World Bank), the European Commission, the Stability Pact, interested EU Member States and other bilateral donors to facilitate communication and coordination and result in a more focused approach to the protection of water and project featuring. DG Environment of the European Commission holds the secretariat of the Task Force.

Aims

• The effective implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Common Strategic Goals (pdf) between the ICPDR and the Black Sea Commission

• The development of a series of concrete activities including a short list of prioritized projects (pdf) for the rehabilitation of the waters of the region

• Development of concrete approaches for financing of priority projects

• Providing suggestions to the ICPDR and the Black Sea Commission concerning further strategic priorities

Activities

The majority of proposed projects listed in the DABLAS project pipeline target waste water treatment plants. Financial support is being gradually secured: six out of the thirty priority investment pipeline projects have secured full funding and have been removed from the pipeline. Moreover, the European Commission has identified funds for a Project Broker to work on further developing priority projects in the Black Sea Region. Moreover, the Italian authorities have committed their support to fund a PPC Officer to work on Dablas projects in the Balkan region.

To assist the IFI’s with the definition and preparation of priority projects in the Balkans and the Black Sea Region, the European Commission has created the Danube Investment Support Facility (DISF) and a Black Sea Investment Facility (BSIF). The DSIF’s overall budget of € 4 million. Initially, € 3 M will be allocated in equal parts of € 1 M between the World Bank, the EBRD and the EIB. The remainder will constitute a reserve available for studies relating to high priority projects proposed, notably by other IFI’s. The BSIF has an overall budget of € 4 million.

Selected key outputs

• Drawing up a short list of priority projects (pdf) (presented to donors in April 2003)

• Preparing a list of prioritization criteria

For the details, please visit the DABLAS Task Force website.