Travelling from Vienna to Sofia from 27 June to 1 July 2012, Commissioner Hahn visited seven of the participating states. The aim of the trip through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria was to assess progress, better understand issues on the ground, and determine what can be improved.

During meetings with political representatives and other stakeholders it became clear that the Strategy is already producing a new dynamic, with some important results emerging. This was illustrated by some of the projects visited, as shown on these pages, as well as:
• river management project near Vienna, which improves navigation while protecting the environment in new ways using computer modelling and light eco-friendly infrastructure;
• state-of-the art waste water and renewable energy projects (biogas) in Hungary;
• conference on cross-border co-operation in innovation, with Romanian and Bulgarian stakeholders;
• co-ordinated emergency response exercise with the participation of Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Austria, highlighting how equipment and approaches can be effectively shared.

The macro-regional approach, which brings together Member States (and non-Member States) linked by geographical factors, gives an opportunity to maximise the economic, social and environmental impacts of cohesion and other EU policies. The closer cooperation on strategic planning and deployment of EU funds will make an important contribution to the delivery of Europe 2020, in terms of exchanging good practice, networking and joint initiatives in areas such as growth and jobs; reducing brain drain; cooperative and sustainable development; and improving administrative capacity. As such, for the 2014-2020 period the Commission is proposing that macro-regional strategies be embedded throughout the programming process (the Common Strategic Framework, Partnership Agreements, and all Operational Programmes, as appropriate).

Source: Panorama Inforegio