Accord international sur l’Escaut.
Country
Type of law
Agreement
Abstract
This multilateral agreement establishes a updated framework for international cooperation on the protection and management of the transboundary waters of the Scheldt river basin. It replaces the 1994 Accord of Charleville-Mézières and is explicitly designed to enable the signatory parties—Belgium, its constituent regions (Brussels-Capital, Flemish, Walloon), France, and the Netherlands—to collectively implement the European Union's Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) for this international district.
The core of the agreement is the establishment of the International Scheldt Commission (ISC), a body with legal personality and a permanent secretariat. The ISC's central mandate is to ensure coordination in developing a single river basin management plan, including programs of measures, monitoring, and economic analysis.
Beyond the Water Framework Directive, the Commission's competencies are expanded to include coordinating policies on flood prevention and protection, mitigating the effects of droughts, and improving emergency response systems for accidental pollution control. The agreement is guided by key environmental principles, including the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays principle.
The agreement details the composition, funding, and operating procedures of the Commission, which makes decisions unanimously and operates in both French and Dutch. It also includes provisions for observer participation and the peaceful settlement of disputes among the parties.
The core of the agreement is the establishment of the International Scheldt Commission (ISC), a body with legal personality and a permanent secretariat. The ISC's central mandate is to ensure coordination in developing a single river basin management plan, including programs of measures, monitoring, and economic analysis.
Beyond the Water Framework Directive, the Commission's competencies are expanded to include coordinating policies on flood prevention and protection, mitigating the effects of droughts, and improving emergency response systems for accidental pollution control. The agreement is guided by key environmental principles, including the precautionary principle and the polluter-pays principle.
The agreement details the composition, funding, and operating procedures of the Commission, which makes decisions unanimously and operates in both French and Dutch. It also includes provisions for observer participation and the peaceful settlement of disputes among the parties.
Attached files
Date of text
Repealed
No
Source language
French
Legislation Amendment
No