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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Danube countries must step up all forms of cooperation

Belgrade/Budapest, 25 February 2010

Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development Bozidar Djelic spoke at the Danube Summit in Budapest today and advocated stepping up all forms of cooperation among countries in the Danube region, especially in economy.

Author: Fonet

Addressing the participants in the Danube Summit in Budapest, organised by the European Commission and the Hungarian government, Djelic pointed out the significance of the Danube as a river enabling speedy economic development of all the countries it traverses.

He stressed that Serbia fully endorses the drafting of a strategy for the Danube region, which will comprise all European values, recalling that Serbia was also actively engaged in the drafting of the Budapest declaration and the inter-ministerial working group for cooperation with the EU regarding the River Danube.

Apart from the three existing pillars of the strategy, Serbia proposes the adoption of another two, namely the establishment of a secure navigation system on the Danube and the creation of a knowledge-based economy, through cooperation of universities and scientific institutes, Djelic said.

He recalled that the development of an economy based on knowledge is one of the conclusions of the Danube Rectors’ Conference, held on 4–6 February in Novi Sad.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the River Danube is an unexploited economic, infrastructural and environmental European resource, adding that Serbia earmarked €11 million for the improvement of the navigation system on the Danube.

Djelic recalled that the Danube flows through Serbia for 587 kilometres, passing through the two largest Serbian cities, Belgrade and Novi Sad. He also noted that new bridges on the Danube will soon be built, namely the Zezelj Bridge in Novi Sad, the bridge near Beska and the Zemun–Bora Bridge in Belgrade.

The Danube should help to cherish European values and multiethnicity, said Djelic and added that Serbia, together with Hungary, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria, participates in cross-border cooperation projects and advocates the further development of good neighbourly relations, promotion of human and minority rights and cultural diversity.

The Serbian Deputy Prime Minister also invited the participants in the Summit to come to the Exit music festival in Petrovaradin this summer, as well as a new conference on the Danube, which will be held in autumn in Belgrade.

The two-day conference was opened by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Balázs and President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences József Pálinkás, followed by Mayor of Budapest Gábor Demszky, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn and Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai.

Author: Fonet

Djelic told journalists that the meeting was particularly important for Serbia because practically all the initiatives of Belgrade were accepted.

Djelic said that Serbia’s proposal to organise a donor conference for financing projects on the Danube in September in Belgrade was accepted.

Djelic added that it is important that by 2020 the whole of the EU accepts the projects on the Danube as an important item on the budget for which tens of billions of euros would be allocated.

Speaking about the security issues of the Danube, Djelic said that the problems identified are the smuggling of petroleum products as well as attempts of illegal migration.