Donau-strategie: lidstaten bereiden zich voor op implementatie (en)

“We honour the principle of “Three NOs”, but we believe it should be supplemented by the principle of “Three YESs. We say yes to better coordination, yes to more efficient utilisation of the existing resources and yes to creative ideas,” said Government Commissioner, Etelka Barsi-Pataky, responsible for the Danube Region Strategy in the coordinators’ meeting, in Gödöllo, on 9 May 2011.

On 13 April 2011, the General Affairs Council gave its blessing to the Danube strategy, by which the first half of the Strategy-related objectives of the Hungarian Presidency was accomplished. The Presidency organised a coordinators’ meeting on 9-10 May in Gödöllo, to enable national contact persons of the 14 countries participating in the strategy; and their coordinators responsible for the 11 action areas, to prepare for the implementation of the strategy. Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn i and Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, János Martonyi appointed the coordinators responsible for the 11 action areas, in February in Budapest.

Etelka Barsi-Pataky highlighted: it was no accident that the meeting was held on 9 May, on Europe Day. In her opinion, the commitment of participants to the project promises that a cooperation scheme, equally obligatory for everyone will be created, “which is a characteristic, to a true European project.”

The principle of “Three YESs”

The basis of the Danube Strategy is the principle of “Three NOs”, meaning that the countries would not create new institutions, new legislation or require new Union funding for its implementation. At the same time, the Hungarian Presidency considers it a fundamental point to give a positive direction to the strategy supplemented with the principle of “Three YESs”. “We say yes to better coordination, yes to more efficient utilisation of the existing resources and yes to creative ideas,”stated Etelka Barsi-Pataky, at the event in Gödöllo.

Johannes Hahn stressed in the meeting that the national coordinators should not focus on the interests of their own states, but rather on those of the region. “The success of the Danube Region Strategy depends on whether everybody can consider the strategy as their own, and whether we can set such ambitious and realistic objectives that are considered equally important, by everyone,”Hahn said. It is also part of coordination and the responsibility of the coordinators, that in the framework of the strategy, they should only support projects that do not only serve local interests. Projects of the Danube Strategy should meet such challenges, that can only be resolved if the participating states unite their forces,”the Commissioner pointed out.

10-30 billion euros until 2013

Although no funds will be allocated to the Danube Strategy at EU or Member State level, Minister of State of the National Development Ministry, Pál Völner says there are funds available for this purpose. “The amount undrawn from the Structural Funds in the period between 2007 and 2013, is estimated to be 10 billion euros by optimists; and 30 billion euros by pessimists,” Mr Völner said in his opening speech at the meeting.

Everyone agreed that this amount in itself means great opportunities for the region, at the same time, the Minister of State reminded the participants that there are available EU funds, apart from the Structural Funds too, such as the TEN-T funds in the field of transport, which provide further opportunities.

Concerning future funding, Mr Hahn pointed out that coordinators must start working at this point, in order to obtain funds from the next multi-annual financial framework. The content debate of the next seven-year framework budget will start this autumn already, therefore, it would be very important to know by that time, what programs are intended to be supported under the aegis of the Danube Strategy,” the Commissioner pointed out.

Results within ten years

In the press conference, Johannes Hahn also mentioned that the accomplishment of the Danube Region Strategy is not tied to a single deadline; its objective is to lay the foundations of long-term cooperation. At the same time, proper schedules must be defined for the more than one hundred projects included in the action plan, defined for the strategy. According to the Commissioner, this may be one of the results of the upcoming two months.

According to the Commissioner, ten years is the timeframe in which people living in the Danube Region should experience specific changes, if the strategy is to be implemented appropriately. The Hungarian Presidency aims to ensure that by June, when the European Council will confirm the April Council decision, everything should be ready, and the Polish Presidency should be able to start implementing the strategy without delay.