Insights from the Tethys International Workshop – Sofia 2026
Our team looks back on this event with both satisfaction and hope for the future.
The workshop was embedded within the 44th PM EG Meeting of the ICPDR and the 2026 Danube Water Forum, organised by IAWD - Voice of the Danube in Sofia.
Together with our partners, we presented and discussed key solutions developed under the project led by Ottavia Zoboli, as well as proposed actions for the future:Policy-driven challenges & external pressures

• Monitoring for emission inventories and risk assessment
• Data accessibility & database development
• Emission model development for micropollutants
• A transnational strategy for lasting impact

A key moment was the discussion on ensuring the long‑term sustainability of Tethys results – a critical step in turning science into policy and practice.
Beyond the positive reception of our project’s results and tools, the most promising outcome was the strong alignment among countries in recognising the most critical needs and joint actions to be taken at both national and transnational levels. How to get there, given the many challenges ahead, remains to be solved – but agreeing on shared goals is a very important first step.
A special thanks to Adam Kovacs and Katerina Schilling for making this possible.