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Danube Strategy Meeting in Belgrade

CEI representatives participated in a meeting on financing and implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), organised by the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Serbia, Mr. Bozidar Djelic, in cooperation with the European Commission in Belgrade on 27 September 2010.

It was also attended by the National Contact Points of 14 Danube-basin countries and representatives of the most prominent international financial institutions, such as EIB, EBRD, CoE Development Bank, World Bank, International Finance Corporation and KfW.

The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Mr. Johannes Hahn, recalled that the European Commission allocates 200 million EUR every year in the region, expressing his hope that part of these funds find their way to projects that include the EUSDR. He stressed the importance of the navigability of the Danube, reducing water pollution and ensuring security in the Danube region.

The discussion focused on mobilising resources of the EU, the Danube-basin countries and other organisations and international financial institutions in order to improve economic development, transport, tourism and safety as well as to preserve culture and identity of the Danube region. The International Financial Institutions expressed their readiness to support projects in the framework of the Danube Strategy. In this context, Mr. Djelic expressed confidence that the EUSDR will be an important item in the EU budget between 2014 and 2020.

In view of the encouragement by the CEI Member States the CEI is closely following the elaboration of the EUSDR by taking part in the stakeholders’ events and by submitting its own contribution regarding the implementation of the EUSDR.

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