On November 4th, 2025 the 12^th Danube Participation Day took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Organised by EUSDR Priority Area 10 Institutional Capacity and the Danube Civil Society Forum with the support of the EUSDR Bosnian and Herzegovinian Presidency and the Directorate for European Integration, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 12^th Danube Participation Day enfolded under the title “Local Voices, European Future – The Crucial Role of Local Communities in Shaping EU Policy and Diving Enlargement. The event brought together representatives of local, regional and national public administrations, civil society organisations, the European Union and other stakeholders involved in the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

After the welcoming words of the hosts and the organisers, the panel discussion commenced. The podium welcomed representatives from the European Commission (DG REGIO), the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Centre for Civil Society Promotion and the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS). The discussion focused on bridging the gap and the possible pathways to integrate local bottom-up initiatives into the EU enlargement agenda.

Afterwards, participants had the chance to walk around the Agora, where relevant projects were presented and discussions took place. Participants then gathered in the three World Cafés:

• Civil Society: Capacity to Connect – Strengthening Civil Society for Policy Translation and Transformation. The aim of this discussion was to explore needs, good practices and other aspects of civil society organisations.

• Municipality: From Local Action to European Impact – Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Enlargement. In here the discussion aimed to explore needs, good practices and other aspects of local public in their role of local implementers of European policies and values, as well as space for community engagement and breeding ground for participation.

• Youth: Generation Participation – Youth in Action for a Stronger Europe. The discussion was aimed at exploring needs, good practices and other aspects of youth involvement to create a culture of participation.

The results of the World Café discussion were then accumulated, summarised and presented at the EUSDR Annual Forum in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the PA 10 Masterclass “Enlargement in Action: Civil Society and Municipalities Shaping the Future”.

Afterwards the participants were invited to the plenum for the plenary session on “Navigating Funding for Local Development in the Danube Region”. In here, representatives from the Danube Region Programme, Local Democracy Agency Mostar and Citizen Participation Forum presented various insights into the funding landscape in the Danube Region.

Finally, in the closing session, the representative bell was passed on from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Bulgaria signalling the upcoming EUSDR Presidency.

More details on the outcomes of the 12^th Danube Participation Day will be published in due course.