Bringing stakeholders on board

Building on the successful train-the-planners seminar, held in Szolnok in June 2017, JOINTISZA project partners are keen to get more stakeholders involved in national-level activities in the five Tisza countries.

The first step, to be implemented by June 2018, is the organisation of activities and events in order to gather feedback from stakeholders on issues relevant to water management decision making in the basin. The comments will be used during the preparation of the updated draft Integrated Tisza River Basin Management Plan (ITRBMP).

Project partners and national coordinators organized a 1st follow-up meeting (or more if needed) in each country between September and November 2017 to finalise the National Stakeholder Involvement Roadmaps produced during the seminar in Szolnok, and to identify key stakeholders and how to involve them. Based on the roadmaps, and taking into account the specific national context, events are being organised in each country between February and April 2018.

Although online questionnaires and electronic consultation techniques are being employed in most countries to identify potential stakeholders and their concerns, the most powerful tool remains personal meetings and face-to-face dialogue. In Serbia, for example, a follow-up training info session was requested during the first national stakeholder meeting, while a personal meeting with a representative of the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture resulted in the planning of a far wider workshop for the agricultural sector, to be held in March 2018 in Szolnok. Members of the project team are also keen to join national-level events organised by stakeholders, which provide an opportunity to present the project and encourage stakeholder involvement.

All organisations working to promote the sound management of the Tisza River are invited to join our project events, and to share information about their own activities in the next few months. Please check the calendar section here for upcoming events.