On 20 November 2023, the Austrian EUSDR Presidency and the Danube Strategy Point (DSP)  organised a joint online working group meeting for the EUSDR National Coordinators (NCs) and Priority Area Coordinators (PACs) on the 𝗘𝗨𝗦𝗗𝗥 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

The exchange provided a framework for an open discussion on ideas and challenges among the EUSDR core stakeholders that followed the talks of the revision of the EUSDR Governance Architecture Paper.

Closer coordination and communication, together with a better understanding of the concrete roles and the relationships among the stakeholders, were considered key aspects more effective cooperation and for an improved implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

The discussions further included reflections on the needs on how to improve the responsiveness of the EUSDR to fast emerging challenges in the Region, on raising the political impact and relevance of the EUSDR, ideas on how to jointly involve all governance levels and provide a common ground for cross-sectoral and thematic exchange, as well as other topics.

With the establishment of an EUSDR Governance Development Task Force, the Austrian EUSDR Presidency and the DSP are also incorporating the points discussed into their work programmes. The next relevant event in this regard will be the joint NCs – PACs meeting on 29 and 30 January 2024, in Vienna, to further develop concrete measures.

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This was an event organised under the Austrian EUSDR Presidency, which started on 1 November 2023, 2023, under the slogan ‘Shaping Transformation, Creating Opportunities: A Prosperous, Resilient and Secure Danube Region‘, Austria holds the Presidency of the EUSDR until 31 December 2024.

For more in-depth information on the priorities of the Presidency and the calendar of planned meetings and events, click here.