Developed by Pro Danube Management GmbH, a video, highlighting the project's main achievements and its enduring impact on the well-being of Danube ports, was officially launched in the frame of the DIONYSUS final event organised on 23 November 2022 in Constanta.

The aim of the DIONYSUS project was to address main regional challenges in port infrastructure governance and planning to facilitate the integration of the Danube Region ports into smart and sustainable multi-modal transport chains. The project was the result of the fruitful collaboration process among port administrations and operators, business associations, academia and the national authorities of the Danube riparian countries.

DIONYSUS highlighted the fact that Danube ports have the potential to act as engines of growth in their host cities and regions, being multimodal hubs with varying levels of intermodal facilities, serving as an interface between different transport modes. Of particular importance for Danube transport are the numerous industrial sites that are located along the Danube Corridor. Ports offer sustainable solutions for attracting key industrial players by providing dedicated facilities for manufacturing, processing and handling of logistics operations, acting as convenient regional business platforms for trade and industry. Another advantage of Danube ports is that many of them are located on the Trans-European Transport Network transited by several important transport corridors.

The results of DIONYSUS fed into the elaboration of transport corridor development policies by means of gap analysis reports and recommendations. The project provided the necessary framework to identify shortcomings in rail and road access infrastructure of the Danube ports and consolidate investment needs based on comprehensive market analyses. Matching port planning with transport infrastructure and Regional Economic Development Plans delivered concrete recommendations for their adaptations in line with the specific needs and priorities of the sector, corresponding with the current greening and digitalisation trends in Europe. Targeted and niche-specific case studies for Container Liner Services and Agricultural Products have been developed, whereas an Infrastructure Master Plan for the river cruise industry was elaborated to cover the tourism sector as well. Other essential outputs of the project resulted in the elaboration of Port Development Plans as well as Operational & Business Models aiming to support sustainable development and investment decisions. All the outputs elaborated in the frame of DIONYSUS ensured the alignment with specific EU future Transport, TEN-T and Cohesion Policy objectives, making DIONYSUS a key instrument to efficiently implement the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

Serving the objectives of DIONYSUS, the Danube Ports Network (www.danubeports.eu) was at the heart of coordinated project capitalisation tasks, supporting knowledge-creation and transfer, as well as synergies with EU transport policy initiatives and other port development related projects.

The video can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEzP7wwyhww