The Danube is more than a river, it is a lifeline for over 80 million people across 19 countries. As a key natural corridor, the Danube supports diverse ecosystems, drives regional economies, and connects society across Central and South-East Europe. Nevertheless, increasing environmental pressures and climate-related risks have made coordinated, cross-border efforts in disaster resilience and sustainable water management more important than ever.
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) plays a central role in facilitating this collaboration. Specifically, Priority Area 10 Institutional Capacity and Cooperation) and Priority Area 5 (Environmental Risks) provide essential paltforms for transnational partnerships that address both governance gaps and environmental challenges across the region.
Under the Bosnian and Herzegovinian EUSDR Presidency, the region has sharpened its focus on strengthening the involvement of EU candidate countries, ensuring that their voices are actively included in shaping the region´s future.
Stronger Together – Enhancing Regional Cooperation in the Danube Basin
One of the standout initiatives under the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Presidency was the Stronger Together event, held on April 3, 2025 in Mostar. The event, organised in collaboration with the Republic of Croatian, PA10 and PA5, aimed to foster deeper regional cooperation, particularly in areas like water management, disaster response and emergency preparedness.
The event brought together more than 80 experts and stakeholders from EU and EU candidate countries, including representatives from European Commission, Danube Strategy Point, Regional Cooperation Council, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, Sava Commission, and national agencies involved in civil protection, water management, academia, youth initiatives and civil society.
Key discussions during the event addressed pressing regional issues such as flash flood forecasting, integrated disaster response and improving public risk communication. Participants exchanged good practices, identified common challenges and explored ways to close existing gaps.
The interactive World Café format encouraged lively, solution-driven dialogue on local-level preparedness, the role of community, artificial intelligence for early warning systems, and innovative strategies to engage youth and communities in disaster resilience efforts.
Outcomes of the discussions, reinforced the importance of macro-regional cooperation in bridging intitutional divides and aligning cross-border projects. It also showcased Bosnia and Herzegovina´s proactive leadership in advancing the EUSDR agenda and underscored the vital role that EU candidate countries play in shaping the Danube region´s sustainable and resilient future.
The overall summary of the event and its results can be found here.
