About 60 experts from Central and East European Countries came together on 22 March at the Best Western Hotel Expo in Sofia in order to be informed on the recently started project DBS (Danube-Black Sea) Gateway Region, which is co-financed within the framework of the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme.

The conference was organised by the Regional Government of Lower Austria, lead partner of the project, the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company (project partner and host) and TINA Vienna GmbH (project partner). Mr. Werner Pracherstorfer, Regional Government of Lower Austria, and Mr. Anguel Zaburtov, Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company, opened the event.

Within the framework of the conference representatives from Transport Ministries, local and regional authorities, Danube and Black Sea ports, special interest groups, research institutions and universities and private companies met for expert talks and panel discussions. They spoke about main challenges for the future development of the Danube waterway on the global market, reasons for supporting maritime and inland waterway transport from national/regional perspectives, the importance to participate in transnational networks for future development and future perspectives of the European corridor Rhine-Danube regarding prosperity, shift of transport volumes towards environmental friendly modes of transport and their overall importance in a European transport network, too.

Presentations of the Kick-Off Conference are available for download here:

• Agenda of the Kick-Off Conference

• Challenges and Potential of the Danube-Black Region - Mr. Christian Popp
• Background and Framework Conditions - Mr. Otto Schwetz
• General Presentation, Strategic Scopes, Outputs and Methodology - Ms. Christina Narval
• The Danube Transnational Programme - Ms. Ana Leganel
• DAPhNE – Danube Ports Network - Ms. Anna Natova

Official press release about the event can be found here: Press release - DBS Gateway Region Kick-Off Conference