Hydrodiplomacy in practice: transboundary water management in northern Greece

The political dimension of water becomes highly important not only because of its scarcity, but
also as a result of its sharing across national boundaries. Approximately 40% of the global
population lives in tranboundary water basins, emphasizing the need for cooperation and
harmonization of policies. Hence, the need for “Hydrodiplomacy” rose under the framework of
sustainable development and international cooperation.
Especially in Greece, management of transboundary rivers is of major importance, since
roughly 25% of the country’s renewable resources are “imported” as in four out of the total
five transboundary rivers Greece is the downstream country. The lack of transboundary water
agreements between Greece and its neighboring countries (except with Bulgaria) is affecting
greatly the international cooperation and the status of the water resources. Hence, the
implementation of appropriate methodologies is crucial for the promotion of the integrated
management of these areas. This study refers to five transboundary basins in Northern
Greece and introduces the principles of “Hydrodiplomacy” in their management.