Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Denitsa Nikolova chairs today a joint meeting of the National Coordinators and Coordinators of priority areas of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. The event is part of the calendar of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. This is also the third meeting, organized within the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Danube Strategy. A Troika meeting took place as part of the forum, where Bulgaria is together with Hungary and Romania.

Optimization and key changes in the Action Plan of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region were the main topics of the discussion. "Today's meeting is key to the Action Plan in the context of the post-2020 framework," said Deputy Minister Nikolova. She noted that over the years the priorities of the Danube Strategy have evolved, therefore projects have to be updated, transformed or replaced according to the priority objectives. The Deputy Regional Minister noted that the Action Plan would require further analysis and evaluation of each priority area and the process should be completed by the end of 2020 at the latest, by connecting with the new EU Cohesion Policy priorities.

The joint meeting also commented on the preparations for the Seventh Annual Danube Strategy Forum to be held in Sofia on 18 and 19 October in cooperation with the European Commission. It will be dedicated to tourism as a generator of economic growth. Expectations are for extensive discussions of opportunities to attract public and private investments, as well as the use of financial instruments. Deputy Minister Nikolova advised that an exhibition will be organized in the open of projects, contributing to the objectives of the European Strategy for the Danube Region. It will be arranged in the period 8 - 20 October, on the Lovers’ Bridge at the National Palace of Culture. The exhibition will focus mainly on projects in the field of tourism and the preservation of cultural and natural heritage. The pictures will be exposed on 30 bilateral boards that would give an idea of the rich heritage in the Danube region. As of today, images have been received from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania for 21 projects.

Deputy Minister Nikolova informed that on the occasion of the International Danube River Day, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works has organized a photo competition, which will aim at discovering and promoting the most beautiful places along the Danube. The best photos will be part of a special exhibition, which will be opened in Ruse by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Nikolay Nankov on 29 June 2018.