Until 2020, the EU made HUF 70bn available for cooperation and support projects within the Danube region, as on 20 August 2015 the European Commission adopted the Danube Transnational Programme elaborated jointly by the fourteen countries of the Danube basin.

The announcement of the first call for proposals signals the launching of the programme in September. In line with the decision of partner countries, the supervisory body operating within the Ministry for National Economy is to perform tasks related to programme implementation, Minister of State for the Utilization of EU Funding Balázs Rákossy told public news channel M1.

The programme focuses on the funding of joint R&D and social innovation projects, the fostering of entrepreneurial spirit, environmental and cultural responsibility, the bolstering of transport infrastructure development, energy security as well as a low-carbon economy.

Balázs Rákossy pointed out that the programme grants funding for transnational cooperation projects in accordance with the priorities of the EU’s Danube region strategy.

For the time being, the aim of the cooperation projects based on the joint partnership of several countries is to prepare – instead of actually complete – infrastructure development projects under a transnational planning, research and professional cooperation mechanism, he added.

The Danube Transnational Programme is one of European transnational programmes that are to be realized within the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation, the second pillar of the EU’s cohesion policy. Geographically, the programme covers the macro-region defined by the EU Danube Region strategy: it is made up by the countries of the Danube basin and their regions. Accordingly, the 14 partner countries include EU member states such as – besides Hungary – Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Romania, Germany (the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg), Slovakia and Slovenia as well as non-EU states such as Bosnia-Hercegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine with four regions.

The announcement of the first call for proposals is scheduled for the beginning of September, while others are to follow each year. A monitoring committee comprised of the representatives of partner countries has been commissioned to decide which proposal to support.

(Ministry for National Economy)