Romania: EU Danube Strategy three pillars have equal importance
Feb 25, 2010

Romania: EU Danube Strategy three pillars have equal importance.
Budapest, Feb 25 - Agerpres special correspondent Dan Paic reports: The three pillars of the European Union Strategy for the Danube area - connectivity, environmental protection and social-economic development - are equally important to Romania, national coordinator for the participation in working out the strategy Minister Viorel Ardeleanu told Agerpres in Budapest on Thursday.

He stressed that the implementation programmes that are to be proposed should rely on new technologies, so that the strategy be 'sustainable, green and innovation-based'.

'There are several big projects that will be implemented over a longer period of time. There also are projects that can be implemented on a shorter period, such as the upgrading of a port or the completion of a certain infrastructure that should help achieve a hub-like system. I think we are first and foremost interested in achieving a so-called reconciliation on the transport issues, on infrastructure issues and on the protection of the environment, but this can only by done by new technologies', Ardeleanu said.

He said four workshops were organised as part of the conference on the following topics: economic development, namely the domestic market, goods, innovation, research and sustainable development with social aspects in farming, the rural and urban area, human development with the aspects of culture, identity and education and the institutional development of the Euro-regions and municipalities.

'The issues of the EU Strategy's Pillar 3 relating to the economic and social development in the Danube area should be tackled by several aspects, among which the citizen's importance. This instrument, i.e. the Danube Strategy should be used to raise the citizen's living standards, the living standards of the communities in the regions and to employ such instruments as education and research', the coordinator for Romania stressed.

The conference will end in a round table debate with all the national coordinators from the Danube states, who will exchange views of how they see this strategy and which are the ideas that have materialised so far.

On the first day of the EU Conference for the Danube Strategy the Danube Summit is also being held, gathering the prime ministers from the river states.

'Problems in principle are being discussed at the Summit. There is a political declaration of the 14 Danube River states which seeks to send an important political signal', Ardeleanu said. AGERPRES
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