EU Danube Strategy

For centuries the Danube has been a major organising force across its region. Many have sought to seize the opportunities offered by the river, which has given rise throughout history to conflicts and alliances alike.

Collaboration between countries along the Danube dates back to the 19th century. The first move in this direction was when the 1856 Treaty of Paris declared the Danube an international transport route, enabling unrestricted shipping and trade on the river; the still operational European Commission of the Danube was founded in the spirit of this goal.

With the break-up of the Soviet Union and the eastern expansion of the European Union, collaboration along the Danube has once again become an important factor in the formation of regional strategy, and ever more organisations have been formed in the fields of politics and science.

The concept of a unified Danube region European development strategy first arose in the 1990s. Organised co-operation frameworks came into being between settlements, counties and regions with the co-ordination of the Working Community of the Danube Regions (Arge Donau). The Working Community currently operates in twenty-three provinces across nine countries.

In the present programme period the central question for cohesion policy is regional co-operation. At the political level two strands of initiatives can be identified. Both have working processes that connect at several points, and both are working towards the creation of a unified European Danube region while fighting to create a leading role for the new macro-region.

In October 2008 Danuta Hübner, the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, also voted in favour of the formation of the Danube Region. This bottom-up initiative was elevated to governmental level at the Ulm summit on 6 May 2009. The Council of the Danube Cities and Regions is the organisation which submits to the EU the joint wishes of members. At the summit of Member States’ leaders in Brussels on 17-18 June 2009, the green light was given to the preparation of the European Danube Strategy; the deadline for completion of this is December 2010, and its acceptance is expected during the 2011 Hungarian EU presidency.