Francine Cousteau became the honorific ambassador of the Delta

The wife of the famous explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who passed away in 1997, was made Honorific Ambassador of the Danube Delta, as a token of appreciation for her efforts to develop and promote Delta's values in the international community. This distinction was awarded by the Ministry of the Environment, within his first socialist legation sustained by the Commissions for Regional Development and for the Environment of the European Parliament in the Delta. Organised from the initiative of Euro-Parliamentarians Victor Boştinaru and Daciana Sârbu, the socialist mission of these two commissions was meant to identify the possibilities of preserving the Danube Delta, with the help of politicians, for environmental and regional development of European Union. Consequently, it has become necessary "an integrated approach of the problems affecting the Danube Delta, so that all the environment components, social protection, infrastructure should be put together as a support for the programmes of sustainable development", Victor Boştinaru stated. The project for promoting the Danube Delta as European patrimony started in December last year at the European Parliament, a conference and an exhibit being organised for this event.