Romanian Presidency of EU Strategy for Danube Region concludes with positive report for Romania

The Romanian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) concluded on Thursday, with a positive report, according to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) sent to AGERPRES on Friday. 

The closing event was marked by the organization of the EUSDR National Forum, which took place on Monday at the Palace of Parliament and brought together over 200 representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions, civil society, the academic and business environment. 

"The participants debated important topics on the concrete policies, projects, present and future, which can add value to regional cohesion and can contribute to reducing the economic and social disparities in the Danube basin regions," argues the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

During the debates were tackled topics such as the correlation of the European objectives with the national ones in the context provided by the future Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU 2021-2027, the role of the public administration and of the civil society in the implementation of the EUSDR objectives, as well as the evaluation of the Romanian Presidency of the EUSDR progress, with proposals for future cooperation. 

"It was emphasized that the implementation of the Strategy through concrete projects has brought benefits over time, and this cooperation format, under the umbrella of the EU and funded mainly from the European Union, still has an important potential. Precisely from this perspective, Romania has made sustained efforts and has coordinated, as the EUSDR Presidency, the revision of the EU Strategy so as to make it more efficient, easier to implement and closer to the interests identified in the local communities. Thus, under Romania's term of office, considerable steps have been made at the level of the 14 EUSDR countries regarding the revision of the strategy and the related action plan. At the same time, through the more than 50 actions carried out in a large range of topics in Romania's mandate at EUSDR, it was possible to increase the visibility of the strategy and to advance it to a prominent place on the political agenda of the European Union," informs the MAE release. 

The event was attended by the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Melania-Gabriela Ciot, the EUSDR national coordinator, Razvan Rab, the Secretary of State Virgil-Alin Chirila (MDRAP), the Secretary of State Sirma Caraman (MDRAP), the Secretary of State Victor Alexeev (MRP), the dismissed Minister of Waters and Forests, Ioan Denes, and the dismissed Minister of European Funds, Roxana Minzatu. 

The forum ended with the handover ceremony of the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region to Croatia, a delegation of the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds from this country being present at the event. 

The Romanian presidency of EUSDR started last year on November 1st. 

EUSDR is a political initiative of Romania and Austria, being a community instrument of macro-regional cooperation of the riparian states, destined for the social, economic and territorial development of the Danube macroregion, by strengthening the implementation in the region of the policies and the legislation of the European Union. EUSDR is the second macro-regional strategy of the European Union, following the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea, alongside the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region and EU Strategy for the Alpine Region.