Platform: ongoing since 2014

Submitted by / EUSDR Priority Area(s): PA 10 Institutional Capacity & Cooperation

The Danube Participation Days are a format that brings together representatives of local, regional and national public administrations, civil society, the EU and EUSDR governance and further interested stakeholders of the Danube Region Strategy. In doing so, the Participation Days promote cross-sectoral cooperation, exchange know-how and experience and facilitate better coordination between the EUSDR and projects.

The objective of Participation Days is to strengthen trust between public and private stakeholders for participatory governance and to co-create sustainable solutions for regional development in the Danube Region.

Objectives

The Participation Day format is expected to foster exchange between state and non-state actors about the (implementation of) the EUSDR. By engaging in a regular exchange, the format facilitates trust-building and capacity building for all involved stakeholders.

Need and (expected) impact

The involvement of civil society is one of the key features of macro-regional Strategies. However, due to a perceived lack of capacities, administrative culture, lack of trust etc. the involvement of and communication with civil society fell behind the expectations. In 2014, the Danube Civil Society Forum and EUSDR PA 10 organised the first Danube Participation Day in order to establish a macro-regional platform for state and non-state actors to exchange on the Danube Region Strategy and to formulate concrete needs of civil society organisations in order to get involved in the realisation of the EUSDR and increase ownership.

Macro-regional dimension

The Danube Participation Days are a side event of the EUSDR Annual Forum and address stakeholders from all 14 participating countries of the EUSDR. Likewise, the National Participation Days are supposed to be organised in all Danube Region countries on a regular basis. So far, 80% of Danube Region countries have held at least one National Participation Day.

Stakeholders involved

Danube Civil Society Forum, PAC 10, NGOs in the Danube Regions; NCs and PA 10 Steering Group members

Budget and Funding

The funding of National Participation Days and Danube Participation Days varies;

The Danube Participation Days have been funded/supported by Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, Foster Europe, Interreg Danube Transnational/Region Programme, City of Vienna, EUSDR Presidencies etc.

The National Participation Days have been funded by national/regional funds, different project funding over time.

Further information

• https://dcsf.danubestrategy.eu/what-we-do/danube-participation-days;
• https://dcsf.danubestrategy.eu/what-we-do/national-participation-days;
• https://capacitycooperation.danube-region.eu/participation-day/

Contact

Stefan Lütgenau,