The Danube basin recognised as a political and economic space

In April, GWP Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and GWP Hungary organised a workshop that brought Baltic Region Strategy experiences to the newly formed Danube Region Strategy. The workshop, Parallels: Water Resources Management Aspects of European Union Strategies for Baltic Sea and Danube Regions, held in April 2011, built on previous GWP work on strategy development and focused on new financing mechanisms for macro-regional economic development.

GWP CEE sought to ensure that EU water-policy gaps (such as sustainable sanitation in rural areas, flash floods, etc.) are addressed by the strategy. EU funds amounting to ¬100 billion are earmarked for regional development in the Danube Basin during 2007–2013. GWP CEE will be active in supporting macroprojects that frequently fail because of weak coordination among the various stakeholders or countries.