The Bulgarian Presidency of the Danube Strategy in Support of the Enlargement of the European Union

Macro-regional cooperation in support of enlargement: Building practical synergies between the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region" was the topic of a joint meeting of the national coordinators of the two strategies. The event took place in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, within the framework of the 11th Annual Adriatic-Ionian Strategy Forum, chaired by the Republic of North Macedonia by the end of June 2026.

The meeting took stock of the progress made under each strategy and the opportunities to contribute to the EU enlargement process. Concrete steps have also been identified to continue cooperation.

It was recognised that the two strategies were already working on similar priorities – transport, energy, digitalisation, climate, security, education and institutional capacity – but there was insufficient coordination and visibility of results. The establishment of a joint working group on enlargement, bringing together representatives of both strategies, including EU Member States and candidate countries, was discussed.The meeting focused on the need to better reflect the role and contribution of macro-regional strategies in future EU financial instruments and policies for the period 2028-2034, including in the context of the discussions on the next Multiannual Financial Framework. At the initiative of Bulgaria as President of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, joint messages of the four European macro-regional strategies on the Danube, Adriatic-Ionian, Alpine and Baltic Sea regions are being prepared in 2026. Supporting the European perspective of EU candidate countries in the Danube region is one of the thematic priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency. The meeting was co-chaired by the National Coordinator of the Danube Strategy for Bulgaria Ms. Vyara Mincheva and the National Coordinator of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy for RSM Ms. Zuica Zmeykovska, and in her work participated also representatives of the secretariats of the two strategies, the European Commission and Interreg programmes. The Forum confirmed their role as platforms for practical cooperation between EU Member States and candidate countries.