Bulgaria hosts a meeting of the coordinators of priority areas of the countries of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

The event is part of the program of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Strategy

Experts from 14 European countries and 12 thematic priority areas discuss in Sofia the implementation of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region. The meeting of the coordinators of priority areas is the first event within the Bulgarian Presidency of the Strategy for this year.

The forum was opened by Johan Magnusson, representative of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission, the national coordinator of the Danube Strategy for Bulgaria, Vyara Mincheva, and Robert Lichtner, coordinator of the Danube Strategic Unit.

“We are holding the meeting at an important moment. The European context is changing – the enlargement process is progressing, the next Multiannual Financial Framework is being prepared and the thematic priorities at EU level are evolving," said Vyara Mincheva. It is a priority for Bulgaria to work in a focused and pragmatic way, noting the role of the priority areas as a basis for the implementation of the Strategy. Targeted exchanges between priority areas, monitoring of governance and task planning for 2026 are key to identify opportunities to enhance cooperation between Danube countries and formulate common positions on key issues.

The second important topic of the meeting is support for EU enlargement. "The Danube Strategy has already proven that it can serve as a practical framework for gradual integration – through thematic cooperation, networking and project development involving candidate and partner countries. Now the question is how to make these contributions more systematic and more strategically coherent with current processes at EU level," Mincheva commented. Participants also commented on the upcoming EU Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034, as it will define the thematic strands for the coming years, including those related to competitiveness, security and sustainability.   

The meeting of the coordinators of priority areas in Sofia was attended by representatives of the Danube Youth Council and the Network of Danube Youth Organizations.