The Danube region needs social-economic development, competitiveness, security and modernisation of the transport system. The region is located at Europe’s opening to the East and the expansion of EU borders in 2007 made the Danube region a gateway to South Caucasus and Central Asia, through the Black Sea and in particular, through transport and trade connections (TRACECA transport region links the four regions).
Under the circumstances, a EU Strategy for the Danube region contributes to EU’s objectives, reinforcing EU’s political initiatives, especially the 2020 Strategy.
The Danube region has been affected by many conflicts, population movements and non-democratic regimes, all these generating a gap between the Danube region and other European regions, at political, economic, financial and social level. “The challenge we are facing is to accelerate the process of surpassing the discrepancies in the region. The Strategy is an innovation in developing new policies”, declared Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.
The Danube Strategy was adopted by the EC on December 8, 2010 and the implementation of projects under the Strategy will require many investments, but it will also help the region grow. Even though the area has no specific budget, legislation or funds, the countries in the region should invest the EUR 95 Billion endorsed by the EU by 2013, through structural and cohesion funds. Also, the subscribers of the adopted declaration have committed to implement the initiated programmes and projects and to negotiate with international financial institutions to contribute in project implementation. The main problems of the region are grouped in four categories: interconnection of the Danube region, environment protection, increasing prosperity and reinforcement of the region. In regards to the region interconnection, in transports, the strategy aims at upgrading rail and road transport leading to an increase in the transport sector between Europe and Central Asia, to a reinforcement in the trade links and to economic growth. Transport infrastructures and cross-border connections require significant investments, as they are either deficient or almost non-existent. Rail transport development will be a natural consequence of implementing the TEN-T projects and freight corridors projects. The finalisation of TEN-T projects will help overcome difficulties, projects for cross-border sections being prioritized. The establishment and development of European rail freight corridors will help boost freight transport competitiveness. There are nine such corridors, four of which being directly linked to the Danube Region. The multimodality and interoperability of transport, which exploit the full potential of the Danube River as essential element in the modern logistics, are vital. North-South connections are also necessary. “From the point of view of railways and combined transport, there are two projects related to the Danube Strategy in Slovakia: finishing EU’s priority project in the TEN-T framework, which passes the Danube macro region, the railway segment connecting Paris, Stuttgart, Ulm, Munich, Vienna and Bratislava and construction of three modal public intermodal transport terminal in the port of Bratislava. The project is included in the Operational Programme Transport and is co-financed with Cohesion Funds”, declared for Railway Pro Peter Kačala, State Counsel, Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic. As for Romania, the Strategy aims at developing the high-speed line Budapest-Bucharest-Constanţa, according to the declarations of Romanian PM Emil Boc, after meeting his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban at the Danube Summit, held in November 2010. For the development of the Danube region, Romania has a series of strategic objectives such as “creating integrated transport networks and a monitoring system for environment protection based on innovating technologies, promoting the Danube Delta and tourism, as well as infrastructure projects, such as a rapid railway line that links Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Constanţa and the construction of two new bridges across the Danube”, declared Boc. Discussions between the two officials took place on the occasion of the Danube Summit, held in Bucharest. During the same summit, Romanian
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Anca Boagiu, met her Slovakian counterpart, Jan Figel, a meeting which hosted discussions on bilateral agenda, as well as topics on the European transport policy.
“Romania and Slovakia share the same vision in many aspects related to transports and infrastructure. They both think that EU member states with less developed infrastructures should receive support from Brussels through a financially solid Cohesion Policy. Both Romania and Slovakia are crossing a difficult economic period, which can be turned into account and used as an opportunity to rebuilt financially inefficient sectors. This is the case of railway companies both in Romania and in Slovakia”, declared Minister Anca Boagiu. The two ministers have also mentioned the importance of the Danube Strategy initiated between Romania and Austria, saying that the implementation of concrete measures within the Strategy is first of all a duty of subscribing countries.
Silvia-Adriana Ţicău, Vice-Chair of the Transport Committee of the European Parliament
“EU’s strategy on the Danube region is focused on interconnecting the Danube region and on achieving prosperity in this region. Inland waterways, next to road, rail and air connections, will play a significant part in improving modality and intermodality. As for railway transport, it is important to implement the TEN-T priority projects, the four railway transport corridors that cross the Danube region (EC Regulation no. 913/2010), as well as the development of efficient multimodal terminals to the Danube ports by 2020 to connect inland waterways to road and rail transport routes. In this way, competitive railway connexions could be developed between the important cities in the Danube region, helping the region grow both financially and socially and creating a strong bond between people”.
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