Danube Commission Establishes a Register of Damage in the Lower Danube Caused by Russian Aggression

On 17 December, during the 104th Session of the Danube Commission, the Resolution “On the Violation of the Belgrade Convention Caused by the Military Actions of the Russian Federation” was adopted. The initiative, put forward by Ukraine, was supported by Austria, Germany, Croatia, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia.

The Resolution provides for the establishment of a Register of Damage in the Lower Danube Region Caused by Russian Military Actions. The Register will ensure the systematic collection and consolidation of data on damage that obstructs free and safe navigation, as well as causes economic, infrastructural, and environmental losses in the Lower Danube region.

The document explicitly refers to the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, thereby ensuring coherence between international mechanisms for documenting damage and laying the groundwork for future compensation processes.

The Danube Commission also strongly condemned the military actions of the Russian Federation, which violate the fundamental principles and provisions of the Belgrade Convention on the Regime of Navigation on the Danube.

The Secretariat of the Danube Commission has been mandated to maintain the Register until the end of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, publish and regularly update aggregated information, transmit data to the Council of Europe and the European Union, and inform the Commission about Russian actions that impede safe navigation.

 Commentary by the Institute of Danube Research

The Institute of Danube Research considers this decision to be a principled and strategically significant step for the entire Lower Danube and the wider Black Sea–Danube region.

“This decision effectively institutionalizes the responsibility of the Russian Federation within the framework of international inland navigation law. The Register of Damage is not merely a technical instrument but a foundation for future compensation mechanisms, the restoration of logistics chains, port infrastructure, and the ecosystems of the Lower Danube,” the Institute notes.

The Institute emphasizes the importance of linking the Danube Commission’s decision with the Council of Europe and EU mechanisms, which:

-       strengthens the international evidentiary base;

-       integrates the Danube dimension into the broader European architecture of accountability;

-       reinforces the protection of the interests of coastal communities, ports, and navigation operators.

“For Ukraine and its partners in the Lower Danube, this is also a clear signal that the security of navigation, freedom of transit, and respect for international law remain non-negotiable principles, even under conditions of war,” the Institute stresses.

 

foto by Andrij Sybiha/FB