Brussels, 24/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - In its conclusions, the European Council called on the European Commission to bring forward a European strategy for the Danube Region before the end of 2010 (see EUROPE Documents No 2519, para. 34). To ensure that the proposals being drafted reflect the geographic realities of the region, the Committee of the Regions (CoR) will gather the requests from the regions and cities of Europe into one opinion, “A European Strategy for the Danube Region”, to be prepared by Wolfgang Reinhart (EPP, Germany), Minister of Federal and European Affairs of Baden-Wurtemberg. This initiative, which was launched by Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner (see EUROPE 9916), aims to continue the regrowth of this part of the EU. Meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 24 June, the CoR external relations and decentralised cooperation committee (RELEX) discussed the initiative with Olga Srsnova, who chairs the International Committee for the Protection of the Danube.
The draft opinion stresses the need for cooperation among the various states of the region, whether they be EU members, applicant countries, potential applicants or European Neighbourhood Policy associated states, the CoR says in a press release. The opinion will be informed by the work carried out by the Danube inter-regional group, set up in January 2009, and is expected to be adopted during the CoR plenary session in Brussels on 6-7 October 2009. (G.B./transl.rt)