National Forum on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

Teodor Baconschi
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania

“Having finalized the initiative devised alongside Austria, Romania is now preparing to start implementing the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and attract European funds for the sustainable development of the long Danubian course in the national territory… I firmly believe that only by working together – central and local authorities, the business environment, academic milieus and NGOs – can we contribute to the success of this new European macro regional initiative. Our ambition is to turn the Danube into a backbone of the European space, into a genuine express waterway part of the Rhine – Main – Danube axis,” said Minister Baconschi.

Dr. Erhard Busek
President of the Institute for the Danube
Region and Central Europe, Austria

Developing smart projects and launching original ideas is the key that will open the path to success for beneficiaries. We are under time pressure because the Danube Strategy began long time ago and we haven’t had too many results so far. I really hope that all countries involved will cooperate so that we have concrete results. I think it is pointless to develop grand plans without anything happening on the ground. My request is to develop transfrontalier partnerships in order to get results quickly. To be honest, we can count on guaranteed funds until 2013, but nobody knows how much we will get afterwards. Therefore, we must prove that we can reap the fruits we have in our hands and take forward what we have started.
The war affected the area and the river. On the bottom of the river, there are over a hundred shipwrecks during the World Wars. These are traces of history waiting to be cleaned.
I have two obligations. One is the cooperation between the universities in the region and the second is about transports. European Commissioners asked me to be a mediator with regard to the water, road and railway transport. Investments are very important for the area, because as the economy goes well, the region is more stable.

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Heinz Trasch
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Steinbeis-Stiftung, Haus der Wirtschaft – Stuttgart

Technology, transfer, application – a bridge between science and business and a key factor for the successful implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
The Steinbeis Foundation, with its many transfer centres and subsidiaries, is used by the commercial sector as an external partner in dealing with issues or problems that occur by contributing its expert knowledge at every stage of the added-value chain. It offers its clients the efficient transfer of knowledge and technology in all areas of technology and fields of management.
[…] The Danube Strategy will surely bring together the academic and business, schools and companies in general. In Germany, a great emphasis is put on applied research, developed in centers and universities, which is then made available to small and medium enterprises. A transfer of technology from specialists in business – Romania lacks this. With all its offices along the Danube, Steinbeis Foundation strongly supports the EU Strategy for the Danube Region by engaging to play an active role within the Danube Alliance in order to achieve a successful implementation of the triple helix system and to build a bridge between national authorities, business and academic networks.