Eurocommissaris Hahn zet de schijnwerper op het ontwikkelen van de Donau-regio tijdens conferentie in Wenen en Bratislava (en)

IP/10/436

Brussels, 16th April 2010

Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will put the spotlight on the development of a European Strategy for the Danube Region, as closing speaker of a major conference, taking place next week 19 to 21 April in Vienna (Austria) and Bratislava (Slovakia). This conference is the third in a series of broad consultation events aimed at shaping plans for the Strategy, which seeks to improve environmental conditions and develop the huge economic potential of the Danube Region. The event is organised by the European Commission, the City of Vienna, the Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs, the City of Bratislava and the Government Office of Slovakia.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Commissioner Hahn said: "It is clear that some issues, like pollution and flooding, cannot be tackled at national level alone. In the Danube Region, we all agree that improved cooperation is needed to identify joint problems and opportunities, and agree on joint responses. This conference provides an excellent opportunity to get down to the business of discussing concrete projects that will deliver lasting results."

Given the inter-linked nature of many of the challenges facing the region, cooperation within a 'macro-regional' framework is intended to produce more effective coordination. The two day conference will focus on three key themes - environment, transport and energy - but it will also tackle the information society and urban issues. It will provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to examine how these key issues can be addressed to produce integrated and coherent results.

The Danube Region encompasses 14 countries (of which 8 are EU Member States) ranging from Germany in the West to the Ukraine in the East. It has huge economic, environmental and social potential. However, significant economic, social and infrastructure disparities which developed during the divided past of the region still persist today. The aim of the new Strategy will be to help eradicate this unequal legacy and facilitate trade. It also has potential to make a key contribution to the wider Europe 2020 strategy that will be finalised at the June European Council.

Practical projects to be developed within the framework of the Strategy are already being discussed. For example, Austria has made a number of proposals such as action for improving and 'greening' transport infrastructure, developing new technologies for navigation, and promoting energy diversification and the use of renewable energies such as hydro power. The network of inland waterways is ripe for serious development. Currently navigation on the Danube represents just 10% of that on the Rhine.

Slovak proposals include the development of a major new multimodal transport hub that could serve the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary as well as Slovakia, and action to promote ecological technologies and protect the biological diversity of the region. As an example, the Danube river basin hosts more than 300 species of birds and action is urgently needed to ensure their existence is not threatened by industrial and agricultural pollution.

Although the strategy will not come with extra EU finance, a considerable amount of funding is already available to the region through a host of EU programmes. The aim is to use this available support - € 100 billion alone has been allocated from the cohesion policy (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund, European Social Fund) between 2007 and 2013 - to greater effect and show how macro-regional cooperation can help tackle local problems.

Background:

The countries involved are those currently covered by the Danube Cooperation Process (of which eight are EU Member States): Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine.

Next steps: The consultation process on the Danube Strategy will continue until the summer with further events planned for Bulgaria (May), Romania (June). As well as the stakeholder events, the European Commission also held an on-line public consultation from 2 February until 12 April 2010.

The Commission will propose an Action Plan and governance system in December 2010. This is scheduled for discussion and likely endorsement by Member States in early 2011.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/danube/index_en.htm

Further details on the conference: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/danube/events_en.htm