EU STRATEGY FOR THE REGION © Thinkstock, Kisa_Markiza

he EU Strategy for the Danube Region The Strategy focuses on four pillars, and within (EUSDR) is the second EU macro-regional each pillar, concrete cooperation actions specify priority areas: T strategy adopted by the European Com- mission in 2010 and endorsed by the European CONNECTING THE REGION: Council in 2011. ■ Improve mobility and transport connections ■ Encourage more sustainable energy The Strategy brings together 14 countries ■ Promote culture and tourism along the Danube river, and covers an area which PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT: is home to 112 million people, or one-fifth ■ Restore and maintain water quality of the EU’s population. ■ Manage environmental risks ■ Preserve biodiversity, landscapes and the air and soil quality

9 EU Member States: Austria, , Czech BUILDING PROSPERITY: Republic, Croatia, Germany (Baden-Württemberg, ■ Develop the Knowledge Society Bavaria), Hungary, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, ■ Support the competitiveness of enterprises ■ Invest in people and skills and . STRENGTHENING THE REGION: 5 non-EU countries: Bosnia and Herzegovi- ■ Step up institutional capacity and cooperation na, Moldova, Montenegro, , and Ukraine ■ Work together to promote security and tackle organised and serious crime (Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsy and Zakarpatya).

Regional and urban policy THE RESULTS ACHIEVED SO FAR SOME CONCRETE EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

Six years of implementation of the EUSDR has shown that ■ Coordinated risk management through projects like the Strategy is bearing fruit. Thanks to the Strategy, several SEERISK is significantly reducing the risk of damage new important macro-regional projects have either started or by floods; been further developed (e.g. in the fields of navigability and climate change). By bringing together different stakeholders ■ Bottlenecks in the Danube’s navigability are being from different levels, the EUSDR has contributed to an im- removed and security of its navigation improved proved culture of cooperation and helped to develop a multi- though projects such as FAIRWAY and DARIF – cultural dialogue. It has also helped to strengthen coordination Danube River Forum; and develop synergies between policies and institutions at the ■ Cultural dialogue and the active participation of national level, and supported intensified thematic cooperation young people in civil society in the Danube region with the non-EU countries, and between existing international are being encouraged by projects like EU Strategy for the Danube Region Empowering organisations in the region. Young People – Connecting Europe.

Liberec Ústí nad Labem Most Hradec Chomutov-Jirkov Severozápad Králové Praha Severovýchod Karviná Karlovy Kladno Ostrava SchwOeinbfeurtfranken Praha Pardubice Havířov AUscnhtaeffrenfbruargnken Vary Moravskoslezsko Bamberg Bayreuth Plzeň Střední Čechy Ivano-frankivsk Würzburg Erlangen Jihovýchod Olomouc Ivano Střední Žilina Stredné Prešov Mannheim Fürth Nürnberg Brno Zlín -frankivs'ka Chernivtsi Jihlava Slovensko Východné Slovensko Heidelberg Mittelfranken Oberpfalz Jihozápad Chernivets'ka Banská Košice Zakarpats'ka Heilbronn České Budějovice Trenčín Botoşani KarlsruheStuttgart Západné Bystrica Pforzheim Suceava Odes'ka Ludwigsburg Niederösterreich Karlsruhe Stuttgart Niederbayern Slovensko Miskolc Baia Moldova Sindelfingen Nyíregyháza Kishinev Offenburg Tübingen Landshut Nitra Mare Iaşi Augsburg Wien Bratislavský kraj Észak Észak Reutlingen Satu Nord-Est Odesa Freiburg Neu-Ulm Oberbayern Wien -Magyarország -Alföld Mare Tübingen Schwaben Oberösterreich Bistriţa Roman München Debrecen Nord Piatra Villingen-Schwenningen Burgenland (AT) Bacău Freiburg im Rosenheim Salzburg -Vest Neamţ Kempten (Allgäu) Gyõr Târgu Breisgau Konstanz Közép- Oradea Cluj-Napoca Bârlad Friedrichshafen Közép Mureş Szombathely SzékesMfeahégryváarrország Salzburg Steiermark -Dunántúl Vorarlberg Kecskemét TirolInnsbruck Alba Centru Focşani Graz Nyugat-Dunántúl Dél -Alföld Iulia Galaţi Kärnten Arad Sibiu Braşov Dél Szeged Brăila Klagenfurt Maribor Sud-Est -Dunántúl Buzău Timişoara Vzhodna Slovenija Subotica Vest Zahodna Pécs Ploieşti Ljubljana Târgovişte Slovenija Zagreb Râmnicu Osijek Piteşti Constanţa Kontinentalna Vâlcea Bucureşti - Ilfov Slavonski Zrenjanin Târgu Hrvatska Drobeta-Turnu Bucureşti Călărași Brod JiuSud-Vest Rijeka Severin Sud - Muntenia Beograd Oltenia Smederevo Giurgiu Dobrich Luka Tuzla Ruse Varna Valjevo Srbija Danube Zenica Shumen Kragujevac Pleven Severen Severoiztochen Cacak tsentralen Bosna I Sarajevo Severozapaden Jadranska Hrvatska Kruzevac Hercegovina Vratsa Veliko Nis Tarnovo Sliven Burgas Novi Stara Yambol Split Mostar Pazar Leskovac Zagora Sofiya Yugoiztochen Pernik Crna Vranje Plovdiv Yugozapaden Haskovo Gora Pazardzhik Blagoevgrad DID YOU KNOW? Podgorica Yuzhen tsentralen ■ The Danube (2860 km) is the world’s most international­ 0 200 Km river, crossing through 10 countries and extending into 19© Eu rocountries,Geographics Association andfor the ad mtheinistrati vebiggest boundaries (NUTS shareregions) of the Danube river’s basin belongs to Romania (approx. 29 %). MORE INFORMATION https://www.danube-region.eu/ ■ The is the largest European natural wetland and reed bed, and also home to the largest colony of peli- Danube Region Strategy: Success Stories: cans outside Africa (2500 breeding pairs of pelicans arrive http://europa.eu/!JM99Nm every spring in the Danube Delta).1 @RegioInterreg, @EU_Regional ■ The Danube region includes the most successful but also some of the poorest regions in the EU, the wealthiest region’s GDP per capita in 2015 being around six times higher than that of the poorest. The gap is even bigger if compared with non-EU countries.2 Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017 © European Union, 2017 Reuse is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed by the Publications Office in Luxembourg

1) Source: WWF Global, UNESCO Print PDF 2) Source: Eurostat: ISBN 978-92-79-74490-7 ISBN 978-92-79-74482-2 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/news/themes-in-the-spotlight/regional-gdp doi:10.2776/179196 doi:10.2776/56371 KN-06-17-230-EN-C KN-06-17-230-EN-N