© Lukas Mandl

On Wednesday, November 8th, an awareness-raising conference was held at the European Parliament in Brussels to mark the start of the Austrian Presidency of the EU’s macro-regional Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). Austria took over the role from Slovenia on November 1st 2023.

The event was organised by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs in cooperation with Austrian Members of the EU Parliament. Members of the European Parliament in particular from the Danube Region, Brussels-based diplomats from European countries and relevant stakeholders including the European Commission participated in the networking event.

Its purpose was to provide an insight into the priorities of Austria’s presidency programme and to invite the audience to participate in the Presidency activities and actively contribute to shaping the Danube Region’s future. The importance of the parliamentary dimension of EUSDR was highlighted by several participants, as well as topics evolving around green transition, civil society, culture, business opportunities, and giving a voice to the youth of the region.

Director Slawomir Tokarski from DG REGIO provided the perspective of the European Commission. Ambassador Dr Harald Stranzl, National Coordinator of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region at the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, gave a brief overview of the upcoming Austrian Presidency, emphasizing in particular EUSDR’s role as an instrument for gradually bringing the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova closer to the EU, with the perspective of turning the Danube into a river flowing entirely through the European Union.

Please find here some additional information on the conference.