CEF at Annual Meeting of Contact Points and Coordinators of EU Strategy for the Danube Region

The EU Strategy for the Danube Region brings together its Priority Area Coordinators and National Contact Points once a year to discuss policy and implementation. At the recent meeting, participants focused on horizontal issues, such as financing challenges and the involvement of civil society in executing the strategy. These are also core issues that the CEF and the City of Vienna are tackling as the coordinators in charge of institutional capacity and cooperation. Recently we launched the Danube Financing Dialogues to help project promoters from the region connect with the EU management authorities, commercial banks, and other financiers. Also, for projects to progress from ideas to implementation, a Technical Assistance Facility for the Danube region will be introduced in the coming months. Seed money assistance totaling EUR 1 million in the form of consultancy services will be provided for up to 40 eligible project proposals.

The European Commission and its Directorate General for Regional Policy updated the participants on the Danube program, which will be an element of the European Territorial Cooperation initiative in the upcoming 2014 – 2020 financial framework. The Danube program will thus become a significant prospective financial source for projects. At the meeting on January 30-31, 2013, in Brussels, the Priority Area Coordinators and National Contact Points also agreed to dedicate more effort to integrating civil society into the Danube strategy.

About the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

The European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) is a macro-regional strategy adopted by the European Commission in 2010 and endorsed by the European Council in 2011. It was designed to take advantage of synergies and improve coordination among policies and initiatives across the Danube region, thus increasing connectivity within the region as well as with the rest of Europe. Potential new projects and initiatives will be placed within the existing framework.