Stakeholder consultations

During the process of planning the future Interreg Danube programme, the Joint Secretariat/Managing Authority has carried out several consultations to explore the expectations of the stakeholders towards the new programming period. The gathered feedback aimed at providing evidence for the programming process, especially with regard to appropriateness of policies, objectives and activities considered as relevant to be financed by the new programme.

The first round of national consultations with stakeholders was held in May 2020. The survey with a mix of questions about transnational relevance of different topics, activities, and project ideas, was sent to 1833 stakeholders from national and regional bodies (EUSDR) of the member countries. The consultation received 393 responses, which served as a basis for the Analysis of Territorial Challenges, Needs and Potentials of the Danube Region.

The second online questionnaire was published at the programme’s website in February 2021 and reached out to 157 respondents from among national and regional authorities, educational institutions, members of civil society as well as chambers of commerce. In addition, several international organisations operating in the Danube Region (e.g. ICPDR, WWF) were approached by the consultation directly. The conclusions of the second round were discussed on 11th of May during the 8th meeting of the Task Force committee. In effect, the Task Force reached a preliminary agreement on the content of the Programme Strategy with description of four priorities and ten specific objectives to be funded under the future programme in terms of focus, types of actions and results.