The contracting Parties shall cooperate in order to preserve and improve the quality of the Scheldt. The Parties in their action, bearing in mind the Helsinki Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, shall be guided by the following principles: (a) the precautionary principle; (b) the principle of preventive action; (c) the principle of containment and reduction of pollution at the source; (d) the polluter pays principle. For the purposes of international cooperation the Parties establish an International Commission for the Protection of the Scheldt against Pollution. The tasks of the Commission shall be inter alia: (a) to define, collect and evaluate data; (b) to coordinate monitoring programmes; (c) to serve as a forum for the exchange of information on policies and projects in the field of water management; (d) to encourage cooperation within the framework of scientifc research programmes, with particular regard to physical, chemical, ecological and fish management research; (e) to organize cooperation between the different national and regional warning and alert networks and to promote the exchange of information with a view to preventing and combating accidental pollution. Final provisions concern the composition, operation and budget of the Commission.