The future of the EU budget for 2028–2034 will also be of great importance for cooperation in the Danube Region. The new guidance paper, ‘Aligning the EUSDR with the EU Budget 2028–2034: Delivering European Priorities in the Danube Region’, demonstrates how the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) can be linked even more closely to European funding instruments and political priorities in future.

The EUSDR is one of four macro-regional strategies of the European Union and brings together 14 countries along the Danube. The aim is to tackle common challenges in areas such as innovation, climate change, mobility, energy, competitiveness and social development through enhanced cooperation.

As the largest city in the Danube region and a major European hub connecting Western and South-Eastern Europe, Vienna plays a central role in addressing shared challenges. Issues such as adaptation to climate change, sustainable mobility, water management, innovation, digitalisation and social development require enhanced cooperation across administrative boundaries.

Like other macro-regional strategies of the EU, the EUSDR does not have its own budget. Instead, it is implemented by integrating its objectives into existing European, national, and regional funding instruments. This so-called ‘embedding’ approach is becoming increasingly important in the context of the new EU budget for 2028–2034.

The Guidance Paper highlights how the priorities of the Danube Region Strategy can be more closely aligned with future European priorities – including competitiveness, green and digital transformation, resilience and territorial cohesion.

New opportunities: Public bodies, research institutions, businesses and civil society organisations can collaborate with the EUSDR to contribute their expertise and experience within the European context, build new partnerships in the Danube region and develop joint projects.