The European Commission has announced which countries and regions will lead priority areas of work of the Strategy for the Danube Regions, which aims to develop the huge economic potential of the Danube river. This Strategy will aim at a strong cooperation between countries, making a more optimal use of all EU funding available. I will focus on eleven concrete priority action areas, such as the improvement of navigability, water quality, security cooperation and the opportunities for tourism.

To realise the Strategy for the Danube Region on the ground, Commissioner for Regional Policy has announced which countries and regions will lead priority areas of work. They will drive implementation of the Strategy by agreeing a work programme and identifying sources of finance with other countries involved and partners like non-governmental organisations. Eleven priority areas have been identified.

For the kick-off of the Strategy, a first conference on the development of an EU Strategy for the Danube region was held on February as the first in a series of consultation meetings by the Commission to shape the content of the Danube Strategy as requested by the European Council. Now European Commission has end 2010 proposing an overarching Strategy for the Danube Region, which aims at a strong cooperation between countries, making a more optimal use of all EU funding available, without reserving new funds, setting new rules or creating new institutions.

Cooperation within a 'macro-regional' framework' is intended to produce a more effective coordination. However, this approach does not imply new laws or institutions but rather strengthens links between different policies and a wide range of stakeholders. It is a form of cooperation to be applied to problems such as flash floods, destruction of biodiversity habitats and illegal smuggling, and it can also shape new opportunities, for instance, by improving navigation on the river and interconnecting national energy markets to prevent electricity and fuel shortages.

Although the Strategy does not come with extra EU finance, a considerable amount of funding is already available to the region through a various EU programmes. The aim is to use this available support to greater effect and show how macro-regional cooperation can help tackle local problems.

The four pillars of the EU Strategy for the Danube

• Connecting the Danube Region: improving mobility, encouraging sustainable energy and promoting culture and tourism
• Protecting the environment in the Danube Region: restoring water quality, managing environmental risks and preserving biodiversity
• Building prosperity in the Danube Region: developing research capacity, education and information technologies, supporting the competitiveness of enterprises and investing in people’s skills
• Strengthening the Danube Region: stepping up institutional capacity and improving cooperation to tackle organised crime

One of the first tasks of the Priority Area Coordinators will be to agree and refine the targets already defined with the countries most involved in each area of work. To achieve the targets, the strategy lists a series of actions which will also make an important contribution to achieving the broader Europe 2020 goals for sustainable and smart growth.