Representatives from science academies, universities, research and technology organisations, will aim to define concrete cooperation activities and possible synergies to be undertaken in the framework of water, land, soil, air and bio-energy while supporting innovation. A working group will also be dedicated to the Danube Reference Data and Service Infrastructure project aiming at facilitating the access to a wide-range of comparable and harmonised data related to the Danube region.

The overall objective is to gather essential scientific expertise and data to help decision-makers in the region to identify measures and actions needed to implement the EU Strategy of the Danube region. The initiative also wishes to contribute to the reinforcement of ties and cooperation among the scientific community in this region.

This meeting will be followed by a high-level event co-organised by the European Commission and the government of the Slovak republic in Bratislava on 16 May 2013, which will present specific proposals on each of the priorities to the key high-level stakeholders of the Danube region.

Background information

The Danube river is 2 800 km and the region includes 8 EU countries and 6 non-EU. The region is facing several challenges including environmental threats and energy and transport issues. In December 2010, the European Commission launched the EU strategy for the Danube region and the JRC took up the challenge in 2011 to gather the scientific support needed for the implementation of some of the priorities of this strategy, regarding environmental protection, irrigation, agricultural development, navigability and energy production.

Links and documents

• Concept paper on the JRC Scientific Support to the Danube Strategy
• Programme of the Scientific Meeting on the Danube Strategy of 21-22 March 2013 (Ispra)
• Danube flagship clusters:
  • Danube Water Nexus
  • Danube Land and Soil Nexus
  • Danube Air Nexus
  • Danube Bioenergy Nexus
• Danube Reference Data and Service Infrastructure
• EU strategy for the Danube region

Previous news on this topic

• Czech Academy joins JRC initiative on scientific support to Danube strategy
• JRC signs agreement with the Academies of Sciences of the Danube region

Previous related events

• High level conference on 'Scientific Support to the Danube Strategy: Environment protection, irrigation and agricultural development, navigability, energy production and European governance' (Brussels, 24/04/12)