The 14th edition of the annual European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) forum was held on 5–6 November in Sarajevo.
Under the slogan “Flowing Together, Growing Together”, the forum was organized by Bosnia and Herzegovina as the presiding country of the strategy, with support from the European Commission and the Danube Regional Programme. The event brought together around 400 participants, including senior representatives from EU member states and EUSDR observers, the European Commission, regional partners, and civil society members.
The two-day gathering served as a platform for exchanging experiences and enhancing cooperation among various stakeholders from the Danube region. Key topics of the forum focused on the circular economy, the EU enlargement process, cohesion policy, digitalization, sustainable energy, sustainable tourism, and more. The forum emphasized that the future of the Danube region lies in a strong and united European Union, as highlighted in the ministerial declaration adopted at the ministerial meeting within the forum, in which Montenegro was represented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ervin Ibrahimović.
During the forum, participants analyzed the achievements of the Strategy so far and discussed future priorities in line with the revised Action Plan.
As part of the forum, a joint meeting of national coordinators for the Danube and Adriatic-Ionian strategies was held, focusing on the EU enlargement process.
The EUSDR includes 14 countries: nine EU member states (Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Slovakia, and Germany) and five non-EU countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine). The overall goal of the Strategy is to promote economic and social prosperity and growth in the region by improving its attractiveness, competitiveness, and connectivity.
The event also marked the official end of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency of this macro-regional strategy, with Bulgaria set to take over the EUSDR presidency on 1 January 2026.
