Environmental groups welcomed the plan, but called for additional action against the potentially destructive effects of hydroelectric power stations and man-made changes to the river to make it more navigable for shipping.

"The Danube waters are shared by us all and therefore we also share the responsibility," said Mitja Bricelj, president of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) who hosted the meeting.

"We meet to ensure that the resources of the Danube Basin are managed in an environmentally sustainable manner."

The Danube is Europe's second-longest river, running 2,860 kilometres (1,777 miles) from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania.

Ministers and high-level representatives from 14 countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine as well as the European Commission attended the meeting.

The ministers adopted the so-called Danube River Basin Management Plan drawn up to "improve the environmental condition of the Danube and its tributaries."

The plan includes a series of measures to be implemented over the next five years, including concrete efforts to reduce pollution and minimise the negative effects of man-made changes to the river.

It also includes re-naturalization of wetlands, creation of natural flood barriers, upgrading of dykes and improvement of alarm and forecasting systems.

Environmental groups, such as the World Wildlife Fund and BUND, the German arm of Friends of the Earth, welcomed the plan.

"Overall, we welcome it, but we do see some critical points," said Irene Lucius, senior policy coordinator of the WWF's Danube-Carpathian programme.

BUND president Hubert Weiger cited pressure to construct new hydropower plants as a particular threat to the Danube.

"While providing a renewable source of energy, hydropower plants of all sizes, including small ones, can easily upset the fragile systems."

In particular, environmental groups were campaigning against river regulation work in the Upper Danube between Straubing and Vilshofen in Germany, involving the construction of a dam and a canal.

That would "destroy the last remaining free flowing section of the Danube in Germany with severe impacts on biodiversity," Weiger said.

Another criticism stems from efforts to make the river more navigable for ships, Weiger said.

"We should fit the ships to the river, not the river to the ships," he said.

The Danube "is not just a traffic route, but part of Europe's natural and cultural heritage."

The river is Europe's "lifeline. It's the Amazon of Europe," he said.

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