LET THE DRAVA FLOW FREE Press release

Gravel excavation and river regulation sentence Europe’s beautiful Drava River to death
Croatia is not complying with international conventions and EU Environmental Law
The Croatian Parliament is asked to save the Drava

Between Varazdin and the Slovenian border, Croatian Water Authorities are turning the living river into a concrete canal, closing off its meanders and side branches, and extracting large quantities of gravel directly from the riverbed and banks. The consequences on the living environment are dramatic: biodiversity loss, the falling of groundwater tables, the drying out of forests and ruined landscapes. These construction works also add to the reduction of local socio-economic opportunities and are clearly in non compliance with international agreements signed by Croatia, plus Europe’s Water Framework Directive, the Birds and Habitats Directives and the EIA Directive.

In order to save the Drava we call upon the Members of the Croatian Parliament to:

• Initiate a moratorium on gravel excavation and river regulation on the Drava River.
• Initiate a meeting with experts and stakeholders and a parliamentary session on the protection and sustainable use of the Drava River, including the identification of alternative solutions for gravel excavation and river regulation.
• Raise a parliamentary question to the government about the implications of ongoing gravel excavation and river regulation works for Croatia’s fulfilment of international conventions and for its achievement of compliance with the EU environmental law.

Save Europe’s beautiful Drava, it’s future is in your hands!

Contact:
Helena Hećimović (President of the Drava League),
Tel.: 00385 (0) 48 623 750 or 00385 (0) 98 24 9720