On the 16th of January 2026, the DANSER project organized the Nexus Water–Sediments–Biodiversity workshop in Bucharest, Romania, under the framework of the Ministry of Environment, Waters, and Forests . The hybrid roundtable event brought together key Horizon Europe projects—including DANSER, SunDANSE, InnoSED, Danube Sediments Q2—and essential stakeholders such as MMAP, Hidroelectrica, ANAR, AFDJ, and various research institutions and NGOs.
The workshop aimed to harmonize sediment-management evidence, avoid duplication of research activities, and foster synergies to support policy and legislative improvements in the Danube and Danube Delta. Topics addressed included hydropower, navigation, ecosystem integrity, and climate adaptation, with a focus on the trade-offs in managing the Water–Sediments–Biodiversity nexus.
Key outcomes included the Ministry’s statement on the urgency of sediment management and its direct link to political visibility, particularly addressing the drinking-water crisis. The event also emphasized the importance of synergies between Horizon projects to support the EU’s broader policy initiatives, such as the EU Ocean Pact and European Ocean Days.
A core conclusion was the need to harmonize sediment data and monitoring efforts, reduce overlap between projects, and ensure that sediment management proposals are not only technically sound but also feasible and financially viable. The session concluded with a commitment to aligning efforts across projects for a more coordinated and coherent approach to managing the Danube river system.