25 August 2008

Dear Madam, Dear Sir, Dear Friends,

I confirm that the next «EUROPE-INBO 2008» international conference, organized by the «Group of European Basin Organizations for the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive - WFD», will take place, at the invitation of the National Administration of Romanian Waters (APELE ROMÂNE) and the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, under the aegis of the Romanian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development:

in SIBIU – ROMANIA
from 1 to 4 October 2008
at Hera Conference Hall – Ramada Hotel
2, Emil Cioran Street – Sibiu.

This General Assembly of the « EUROPE-INBO » Group will be especially dedicated to the preparation of the 5th World Water Forum 2009 of Istanbul with the participation of all our European partners:

- Chapter on basin management of the European report,
- Topic 3.1 « basin management and transboundary cooperation »,
- Handbook on basin-based IWRM, prepared by GWP and INBO...

I send you herewith the form necessary for your registration.

There will be simultaneous translation into English and French.

Registration to the «EUROPE-INBO 2008» conference is free of charge.

The aim of INBO is to enable the European Basin Organizations to regularly and informally meet in order to exchange their practical experiences.

Our meeting will be organized around three main current topics:

1. The preparation of the Programs of Measures of the Water Framework Directive;
2. The implementation of the Flood Directive;
3. The analysis of WFD implementation in transboundary river basins.

As the meeting is taking place in Romania, special attention will be paid to the issues specific to water management in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Danube River Basin.

You are invited to present a paper on your experiments: The title, abstract and PowerPoint presentation should be delivered to us before 15 September, last date, at the following e-mail addresses: inbo@wanadoo.fr and andrei.mihai@hidro.ro

The meeting is open to all INBO member organizations and observers, and also to the water administrations and organizations, interested in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and of the Flood Risk Directive, of the member and candidate countries of the European Union and of all the other countries of the Balkans, the Mediterranean Region, as well as of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.

Any useful information, programs and proposed papers will be continuously available on the website: www.inbo-news.org .

I thank you in advance for kindly returning now the enclosed registration form to inbo@wanadoo.fr and relatii@hidro.ro, in order to facilitate the good organization of the meeting and your best welcoming in SIBIU.

The city of Sibiu - « Hermannstadt » was declared the 32nd European Cultural Capital, in 2007. With its cobblestone streets and Saxon-style houses, the Transylvanian city of Sibiu is an open-air museum. Deep in history, it offers its visitors a wealth of cultural sites, especially its medieval fortress towers and 15 majestic churches: www.sibiu2007.ro .

I would advise you to arrive on Wednesday morning, the 1st of October 2008, directly at Sibiu International Airport. The airline operators are: Carpatair (daily flights to Rome, Paris, Stuttgart, Bologna, Verona, Munich, Bergamo, Treviso, Kishnev, Ukraine), Austrian Airlines (connection with the airport of Vienna) or Tarom (flies to Sibiu from Munich and Vienna) and Blue Air.   

You may also transit through Bucharest International Airport Otopeni as there are daily flights between Sibiu and Bucharest, with Tarom.

If your agenda allows it, you could leave Sibiu on Saturday evening or, even better, on Sunday 5 October, in the morning, as our hosts have planned a technical visit on Saturday morning.

Your hotel booking at the Ramada Hotel or at two other hotels located nearby, at group discount prices, can be made for you by our Romanian hosts, in collaboration with the AZZURRO Tour Express travel agency - E-mail: office@azzurro.ro.

These discount prices are only guaranteed to us until 1st September 2008, so we recommend you to make your room booking very quickly.

The Secretariat of the Central and Eastern European Network of Basin Organizations (CEENBO), which is handled by the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, under the umbrella of the National Administration of Romanian Waters (APELE ROMÂNE), will take charge of our welcoming in Sibiu.

For any information concerning the practical organization of the conference, please contact Mr. Andrei MIHAI at the International Relations and Programs Bureau:
Tel:  +40 21 318-11-15/ext.123, between 8ºº-16ºº EET,
or: +40 788-694-111
E- mail: andrei.mihai@hidro.ro

Unfortunately, we cannot take charge of your air travel to Sibiu and of your hotel accommodation.

I am pleased to see you again in Sibiu next October.

Yours faithfully.