Toespraak Eurocommissaris Hahn over Europese strategie voor Donau regio (en)

Prime Minister,

Deputy Prime Minister,

President of the EIB i,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to be here in Belgrade today to discuss with you how to finance our vision for a more integrated Danube Region.

First of all, I would like to thank our Serbian hosts on hosting this conference. We all want to see Serbia deepen its relationship with the EU, living harmoniously with all its neighbours. I congratulate Serbia on some responsible decisions recently, and let me just say that it is good to see Serbia today, at the heart of an initiative that is rooted in European values, putting the highest standards and the best of Europe at the service of this region.

Since the Member States asked the European Commission to prepare an EU Strategy for the Danube Region, we have experienced if not a financial boom then an intellectual one: we have received a wealth of ideas from European governments - EU-members and non-members -, NGOs and civil society, on how to rise to the most pressing challenges in the region. And we have seen that governments are endorsing a Danube wide strategy at the highest political level.

I can only applaud this spirit and the Commission is working hard to put together an ambitious and focussed strategy by the end of the year which serves the interest of the region as a whole while taking into account its diversity.

However, financing all these ideas will put the political commitment of governments to the test, not least given the current budgetary constraints.

As you know, we have started the work on the Danube Strategy on the premise that there will be no additional funding. So there will be tough choices to be made in each participating state.

Let me say that in this time of fragile recovery it is all the more important invest in growth. That is the message of the Europe 2020 Strategy which has set out the EU's plans for reforms to foster smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Europe 2020 presents the Danube Region with new opportunities. It will not only help accelerate the economic restructuring process, but provide a focus for co operation across regional, national and sectoral boundaries. This is not just true of the EU. Through the Danube Strategy, we can also help anchor the reform efforts of our partners in the region, in the interests of the EU and its neighbours alike.

So, the EU Strategy for the Danube Region will be closely linked to the Europe 2020 Strategy, and will translate the Europe 2020 objectives into priorities and actions reflecting the specific conditions that exist in this region.

The objective is to establish a coherent framework for the countries involved to mobilise their instruments and policies in a better coordinated way. The task is to agree on a common vision for the future and then match it with actions and projects that will benefit all our people.

The strategy that I will publish in December will be accompanied by an Action Plan, based on the proposals we have received from partners.

The Action Plan will cover a wide range of policies economic regeneration, transport, energy, the environment and security, and will set out how these can be implemented through concrete projects.

Some examples:

To boost jobs and living standards, we need projects to promote growth drivers like research and development as well as broadband and business support services.

In the field of transport, we want to boost investments in the waterways of the Danube tributaries to improve navigability, interconnections and intermodal ports.

On energy, we need to better link energy suppliers and users through pipelines and interconnectors. In addition, we will propose projects to increase the use of renewable energies such as the biomass or solar, which will unlock new local growth potential.

For the environment, we will aim to step up conservation of biodiversity and protection against floods.

In the aftermath of the financial crisis we need to spend our money where we get most value. We need to use the existing funds in a more coherent way to maximise their potential.

It is about getting more for our money. For the period 2007-2013 approximately 100 billion have been allocated to this region through EU Structural Funds. That is quite a sum. There are other sources of funding available, from other EU programmes and from the international financial institutions - I am sure that President Maystadt will touch on this later. National, regional and local authorities also have a contribution to make.

Of course the Danube region brings together very diverse countries, with different relationships with the EU.

The non EU member states have to consider their priorities, and much of their EU funds will necessarily go on accession or association objectives. However, projects that fall under an action of the Danube Strategy will have the full support of the Commission and from all Heads of State. We hope this political support will facilitate access to loans and cooperation with International Financial Institutions.

We should not in any case only think in terms of national money transfer. Non-EU member countries will benefit from the investments made beyond their borders. For example, better navigability and transport connections will help promote tourism all along the Danube. I recently attended an exhibition on Serbian Danube Fortresses which we hosted in the Commission. That is of course just one example among many of the beauty and wealth of cultural heritage in this country - and I am confident the Danube strategy will help realise the enormous potential Serbia has for tourism and much more.

Furthermore, strategic investment in vital infrastructure, in the removal of trade barriers and promotion of innovation will attract business and foreign investments to the region,. As we move towards a truly integrated market the whole region will become more resilient to external shocks and better able to tap its full potential. The potential benefits cannot be judged narrowly by which euros are spent where.

As already Nelson Mandela pointed out rightly: "Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will."

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Commission is deeply committed to making a success of the new EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

The success of this Strategy, however, is not in our hands. It is in the hands of the countries, the stakeholders and of those who finance the actions and projects. We know that funding is available. Now the challenge is to use those funds wisely and in partnership.

It was Serbia's idea to hold a conference devoted to this important subject, and I applaud the initiative that Serbia has shown. In this Strategy member states and non member states will be working together in a new kind of partnership where we can all learn from each other.

I am looking forward to working with all of you to ensure that available funding supports our common objectives, so that citizens throughout the Danube region benefit from new opportunities. Thank you very much!