Members of the Hungarian-Serbian (Transboundary) present at the meeting
The 2nd session of the Hungarian-Serbian Water Committee
Regular Hungarian-Serbian cooperation in water management dates back to the mid-1950s. Of course, at that time, our partner was still Yugoslavia. The first agreement was sign in Belgrade, in 1955, which entered into force in Hungary in 1956. The water management sector has always taken this cooperation very seriously. Negotiations take place on the highest level, within the so-called Water Management Committee. This is led by transboundary governmental commissioners on both side. For example, the legendary water management expert, Imre Dégen (m) served as head of the Hungarian delegation 17 times.
The agreement signed in 1955 remained in force until 2019. Naturally, it was always adapted to reflect historical changes. It began as a Hungarian-Serbian-Montenegrin agreement and later became a Hungarian-Serbian agreement. The other former Yugoslavian republics also signed their own agreements with Hungary. Based on the agreement concluded in 1955, the Joint Committee held its 42 session. Within the frame of this cooperation, a new treaty was signed between the two countries in 2019. Our colleague, Péter Kovács, who fulfilled the transboundary governmental commissioner position at that time, played a prominent role in this. While the new agreement defines river sections, water courses and sub-catchments of mutual interest, it determines transboundary impact as follows:
“a change in the quantity or quality of water, or in the flow regime, which may affect the territory of the other Party.”
These changes can obviously occur not only in river section of common interest, but anywhere within the water shed. For this reason, multilateral cooperation must be implemented in many cases. For example, ice flood protection measures on the Danube are coordinated at a Hungarian-Serbian-Croatian meeting every December to prepare for the joint action and to determine the financial aspects as well.
The strength of this cooperation is demonstrated by the fact that the exchange of hydrographical data continued uninterrupted even when, during the Kosovo crisis, the U.S. Air Force attacked communication lines in Serbia.
Exchanging the signed protocol
Between 17 and 19 March 2026, we held the second session of the Hungarian-Serbian Water Committee in Serbia, in accordance with the new Hungarian-Serbian Agreement. We arrived at the venue with a well-prepared protocol, so the meeting proceeded without any significant disputes. The finalized protocol (including the adopted reports and tasks) serves both countries well. The protocol was signed by Jenő Lábdy, the Hungarian Deputy Transboundary Governmental Commissioner, on behalf of the Transboundary Governmental Commissioner, who was unable to attend to the meeting due to other official duties.
The value of our current cooperation is clearly demonstrated by the fact that, for the second year in a row, Serbia has provided one of the greatest sources of assistance for the irrigation water supply in the Lower Tisza region. Although sufficient amount of water is available in the river along the section of the Tisza, due to persistently low water levels, the suction side of the large pumps installed there cannot reach the water at the required depth. At Hungary’s request, Serbian water experts significantly raised the level of damming at Törökbecs dam, which also raised water levels in Hungary. The problem of low water levels caused by the climate change, has not been permanently resolved, but we have managed (and continue to manage) to operate some of the pumping stations.
Pictured are Jenő Lábdy, Deputy Government Commissioner of the Hungarian Section, and Bozana Prior, Government Commissioner of the Serbian Section, as well as Ida Nagyné Sós on the left and Milić Bunčić on the right, Hungarian-Serbian secretaries
March 25, 2026.
Written by: Jenő Lábdy, Head of Department, National Water Management Directorate
Photo: Péter Bures, Lower Tisza Region Water Management Directorate
Captions:
Photo 1: Group photo of the members of the Hungarian-Serbian Water Commission present at the meeting
Photo 2: The Hungarian government representative and the Serbian government representative exchange the signed minutes
Photo 3: Jenő Lábdy, Deputy Government Representative of the Hungarian delegation (acting Government Representative for the duration of the meeting), and Bozana Prior, Government Representative of the Serbian delegation