The countries of the Danube Strategy with a common position on the low levels of the Danube

European Commission calls on current and future European programmes to support affected countries

At the initiative of the Bulgarian Presidency, the Danube Strategy calls on the European Commission to take into account the specific challenges and vulnerabilities of the Danube region related to low river levels, droughts and other hydrological extremities in the development of relevant EU policies and initiatives. There is also a need for current and future European programmes, investments and financial instruments to support affected countries and regions in their efforts towards greater resilience.

The statement stressed the strategic importance of the river as one of the vital natural resources, a major European transport and economic corridor, and a connecting element for over 110 million European citizens in 14 countries. Low river levels affect not only shipping but also transport and connectivity, energy supply, tourism, surface and groundwater availability and quality, ecosystems and biodiversity, soil degradation in vulnerable areas, economic activities, critical infrastructure and the overall resilience of territories and local communities in the Danube river basin.

The statement also outlines concrete measures within the framework of the Strategy. The priority areas of the Danube Strategy are invited to contribute to a broader macro-regional assessment of the effects of low river levels and recurrent periods of drought. The purpose of this assessment is to outline common vulnerabilities, necessary long-term measures, investment needs and opportunities for coordinated initiatives and projects. This activity will be developed in partnership with the European Commission, the Danube Commission, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River and other interested structures. This puts emphasis on the practical role of the Danube Strategy as a tool for a coordinated response to common cross-border challenges and for linking national needs with European support policies and instruments.

Bulgaria, through the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, holds the rotating presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in 2026. The initiative for a common response to the critically low levels of the Danube follows the consistent efforts of the Bulgarian Presidency to ensure that the common cross-border challenges facing the Danube region receive a stronger European response and that the specific needs of its countries, regions and citizens are better reflected in EU policies and instruments. In this direction, at the initiative of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Danube Strategy, for the first time, the Presidencies of the four EU macro-regional strategies (Baltic, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian and Alpine) have combined their messages on the future of macro-regional cooperation and the next European budget. Specific guidelines have also been developed to better link the priorities of the Danube Strategy to future EU policies, programmes and funding opportunities. The aim is for cooperation between countries to lead to more opportunities for real solutions and investment where individual countries cannot achieve the same result on their own. Fifteen years after its creation, the Danube Strategy brings together nine EU Member States and five accession countries and remains an important tool for common solutions to challenges that do not stop at national borders.