INTERREG DANUBE – DBS Gateway Region
Regional and Transport Development in the Danube-Black Sea Region towards a Transnational Multiport Gateway Region

Dear readers,

Welcome to the DBS Gateway Region newsletter!

In this edition of the newsletter you will find information about the scope and objective of the project DBS Gateway Region as well as an overview of our first outcomes of the first year of implementation.

DBS Gateway Region aims at supporting the Danube and the Black Sea region to become an attractive gateway region for maritime and inland waterway transport by facilitating the cooperation within regions and with the region and its actors. This joint effort shall improve accessibility of the ports and the regions and strengthen interoperability between maritime and inland waterways as well as with their hinterland. Thus, the project’s unique approach is to establish a cooperation platform combining different stakeholders, activities and projects under one umbrella.

If you are interested in receiving this newsletter regularly, please subscribe on our project website (at the bottom of the front page).

dtp.interreg-danube.eu/dbs-gateway-region

Kick-Off Conference in Sofia

On 22 March 2017, DBS Gateway Region was officially started with a kick-off conference in Sofia, hosted by the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company. Within the framework of the event representatives from Transport Ministries, local and regional authorities, Danube and Black Sea ports, special interest groups, research institutions and universities and private companies were informed about the objectives and activities of the project. Furthermore, main challenges for the future development of the Danube waterway and the possibilities to shift transport volumes towards environmental friendly modes of transport were discussed during expert talks and panel discussions.

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Regional Stakeholder Workshops

The first phase of the project was dedicated to elaborate a Potential Analysis for the DBS Gateway Region leading to a Joint Vision 2040. Thus, the Potential Analysis provides an overall picture of existing and future markets by summarising existing studies and data, harmonized in terms of indicators, actuality and data quality.

Based on the draft potential analysis future development options were discussed with relevant stakeholders (industry, operators, freight forwarders, etc.) in dedicated workshops held in each participating region.

The reports of the regional workshops can be downloaded from the library at the project website.

Joint Vision 2040

The second phase of the project concentrated on the development of the Joint Vision 2040 for the DBS Gateway Region. This vision is understood as an aspirational description of what the DBS Gateway Region would like to accomplish in the mid-term and long-term future. It gives a jointly agreed common direction and serves as a clear guide for choosing current and future action. This is why it is directly interlinked with the Potential Analysis.

The Joint Vision includes

• Mission Statement
• Strategic Objectives
• Fields of intervention
• Operational Objectives

Measures of the Roadmap, which is the third phase of the project, will support the operational objectives within the defined fields of intervention derived from the strategic objectives of the Mission Statement.