Brussels, 13/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - In Luxembourg on Wednesday 13 April, the General Affairs Council adopted conclusions approving the EU strategy for the Danube region. The ministers of the 27 EU member states also take note of the annexed action plan. To ensure implementation and follow-up, ministers agreed on the need for a governance structure. They encourage the member states concerned, therefore, and in particular their National Contact Points and their Priority Area coordinators to facilitate the start of the implementation.
More particularly, the Council calls on the Commission: - to play a leading role in the strategic coordination of the key delivery stages of the strategy, in partnership with the member states and in accordance with the subsidiarity principle; - to safeguard the involvement of stakeholders concerned from all levels in the region; - to provide the member states, regions concerned and participating third countries in the strategy with a continuous assistance and guidance on good practices in cross-border, transnational and interregional coordination and implementation; - to take the objectives of the strategy into account in relevant policy initiatives and programme planning, without prejudice to the negotiations and decisions of the next multi-annual financial framework; - to set-up a High-Level Group of officials from all EU member states in order to assist the Commission in the task of facilitating the implementation of the strategy; - to regularly report to the High Level Group on the implementation; - to regularly inform the Council on the progress made, by June 2013 in the first instance; - to clarify the concept of macro-regional strategies, to evaluate their value added and submit the outcomes to the Council and the European Parliament by June 2013.
The European Commission welcomed the Council's approval of the Strategy for the Danube Region, which it presented on 9 December 2010 (see EUROPE 10274). Preparations for implementation are already under way. Some 200 priority actions will contribute to developing the area's huge economic potential and improving environmental conditions in the region (see EUROPE 10316 and 10308). After the meeting in Luxembourg, Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn said: “Today's endorsement is an important milestone. It is now the responsibility of the Danube countries, regions and stakeholders on the ground to work on implementation which should start as soon as possible. Success in the Danube region will contribute to the prosperity of Europe as a whole”. (G.B./transl.rt)