THE 2ND POLICY DIALOGUE WORKSHOP OF THE DANUBE S3 CLUSTER PROJECT ON POLICY TOOLS SUPPORTING CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT, HELD ONLINE

The event was organized by Bioeconomy Cluster - Slovakia, partner within the Danube S3 Cluster project. This event has brought together 50 participants from the Danube region such as SMEs, clusters, professional organizations, research institutes, public administration as well as representatives of EUSDR PA 7 and PA 8. Among the speakers of the event we can mention Mr. Miroslav VESKOVIC - Joint Research Center that had an intervention on the European Green Deal and the S3 Thematic Platforms related to Green Deal, namely for the Bioeconomy and Agri-food sectors, as well as the new EUSDR Action Plan which aims to connect the macro-regional actions of the Danube with the new priorities of the Commission.

DANUBE S3 CLUSTER STRATEGY HAS BEEN FINALISED!

We are very happy to announce that the Joint  Danube S3 Cluster Strategy has been finalized! This transnational coordinated smart specialization strategy for clusters operating in Agri-Food represents a strategic document that provides guidelines for the development of a sustainable and resource-efficient Agri-Food sector in the Danube region.The Danube S3 Cluster strategy will be tested in five pilot initiatives – in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia – in three cross-cutting themes (healthy food, business models for circular economy and open innovation) that are interconnected and able to generate new innovative project ideas and feeding into the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR).

dtp.interreg-danube.eu/news-and-events/project-news/5375

EU AID PACKAGE TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SECTOR ENTERS INTO FORCE

Specific measures to mitigate the effects of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the fisheries and aquaculture sector amending the Regulation on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EFPR) and the Regulation on the common organization of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products (ZOT) are set in place.

Among the new measures we emphasize:

- additional flexibility in the allocation of budget funds among certain priorities and measures in the operational program;

- support for the temporary cessation of fishing activities, which also takes into account new vessels, with a maximum co-financing rate of 75% of eligible public expenditure.

dtp.interreg-danube.eu/news-and-events/project-news/5362

TWO NEW CALLS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT INFORMATION AND PROMOTION PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED, ENJOY IT'S FROM EUROPE

The European Commission has published two new calls to submit proposals for agricultural promotion programs worldwide and within the European Union. In order to support the agri-food sector as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the Commission has issued two calls for proposals for promotion programs. The calls complement the exceptional support measures recently adopted by the European Commission and target the sectors most affected by the crisis (eligible sectors to support the promotion are: fruit and vegetables, wine, live plants, milk and dairy products and potatoes). Promotional programs will be implemented in the European Union or any third country for a period of one year.

“CLUSTERS NEED TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECOVERY PLANS OF THE EU MEMBER STATES” - EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER THIERRY BRETON

The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the transformation to a green, digital, and resilient European economy. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and the European Clusters Alliance (ECA) discussed in their videoconference on 30 June 2020 the role of clusters in the framework of the recovery process and aligned their ideas. Commissioner Breton stated clearly his intentions to work together, observing that “clusters are absolutely essential to accelerate the transformation that we are putting in place on our European continent, regardless where business is located in the EU.” “You must be part of the recovery plans”, he declared to the ECA, for which the Commission proposes 750 billion EUR, 500 distributed to the Member States.