To what extent can the pollution of the Tisza River be managed through the cross-border cooperation between the EU and non-EU countries?

Tension surrounding fresh water has been increasing due to the human made climate change. Therefore, the maintenance of fresh water sources is now more important than ever. In this sense, it is necessary to find ways to manage the pollution of rivers. Especially the Tisza River, has been affected by the pollution of its riparians, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia. Therefore, the research question of this thesis is “To what extent can the pollution of the Tisza River be managed through the cross-border cooperation between EU and non-EU countries?”. To this end this single case study is conducted using desk research and document analysis with a qualitative and deductive approach. A theoretical framework was developed based on obstacles to transboundary river management, their impact on the transboundary river management, which specific obstacles can be affected the most by CBC, drivers to even engage in cross-border cooperation and lastly the types of CBC. The analysis followed this structure and found that the drivers and framework for functional CBC are present in the case of the Tisza River. Although this is the case, the lack of awareness for the river, has meant that nearly no actions have been taken.