Everything that has occurred in the interests of the River Rába is an outstanding example of the excellent co-operation between our two countries – said Sándor Fazekas.

The Hungarian and Austrian environment ministers have signed the joint memorandum that marks the close of the Rába Action Programme, in Burgenland. Before signing the joint memorandum, the ministers viewed the modern water purification equipment that the Boxmark leather works has installed and put into commission to prevent further pollution of the River Rába.

The memorandum records the fact that Hungarian and Austrian professional experts had worked in unison to analyse and monitor the Rába's water quality, had set up an online measuring station, and that Austria had introduced stricter threshold limits for the leather manufacturing industry. The document also mentions the positive effect of decreasing of the salt load on the Lapincs River, a factor that also affects the Rába, and which was realised through the closing of the geothermic power station in Fürstenfeld.

At the press conference, Nikolaus Berlakovich stated: a total of 17 million Euros had been applied to the realisation of the environmental projects associated with the River Rába. These included the installation of the world's most modern water purification equipment in Boxmark's Jennersdorf and Feldbach leather factories, as well as the installation of similar equipment at the leather factory in Wollsdorf.

Sándor Fazekas emphasised the friendly relations between the two, neighbouring countries. According to the Minister from Hungary, every element in the Rába Action Programme was both important and necessary. The decreasing of the river's social load has resulted in foaming falling to a minimum and an increase in water quality, paving the way for further steps to rehabilitate the river in the future.

According to the Minister, these may include the establishment of a joint flood warning system, and more comprehensive water-quality testing.

Sándor Fazekas stressed: everything that has occurred in the interests of the River Rába is an outstanding example of the excellent co-operation between our two countries, positive communication, and the joint management of emerging problems.

In reply to a question from a reporter from the Hungarian press agency MTI, asking for an explanation as to why foam continues to appear in the Rába at Szentgotthard, Sándor Fazekas said: the Ministry is aware of this fact and data, and this is precisely why it is important that testing and monitoring of the river should be continuous. He added: foaming has ceased in the most part and can only be observed within a few metres, suggesting that it may be of biological origin, although we cannot be sure that it is not an after-effect of earlier pollution or a result of agricultural activities.

(MTI, Ministry of Rural Development)