EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region, endorsed in June 2011 by the European Council, seeks to create synergies and coordination between existing policies and initiatives taking place across the Danube Region, covering one fifth of the EU's area. The Danube, Europe's second longest river at around 2 850 km, links the Black Forest to the Black Sea and runs through ten countries, with four more in its basin.Many of the Region's problems know no borders: flooding, transport and energy links, environmental protection and challenges to security all demand a united approach. Economic disparities and under-investment in infrastructure, legacies of pre-1990 times, need to be addressed. Migration, climate change and security can have a particularly intense impact in the area due to the Region's political and geographical characteristics. Environmental issues are particularly pressing both for reasons of biodiversity and to protect cultural heritage.
