Danube Region "is likely to develop"

A number of concrete projects were discussed in Bucharest on Wednesday when it was noted that although the Danube strategy does not benefit from special funds, there is funding for priority projects, including tourism.

"We have the Danube, we have a Delta unique in Europe, but tourism in the area is significantly below what might be.

"Things can be changed with the Strategy for the Danube region, but the strategy does not have its own funds. However, by asking money for a project within the Strategy for the Danube region increases changes of obtaining that money, but projects do not develop all by themselves", said the Minister of Development and Tourism, Elena Udrea.

According to her statements, there are European funds allocated through the 2013 budget that can be used for projects related to the implementation of the Strategy for the Danube region, which are worth approximately 100 billion euro.

Elena Udrea says that we already have tourism projects under implementation for the Danube, including cultural projects, but that more can be done if local authorities get involved, especially when it comes to the cultural tourism, namely to the restoration of monuments, especially the Roman ones.

"It's a very difficult field because it requires great amounts of money. The Ministry of Culture has structural funds, but the projects in which local communities require and use financial support from the European funds could contain cultural patrimony elements such as buildings", Kelemen Hunor said.

According to Elena Udrea, after the Romanian tourism brand, a brand of the Danube made ​​by all the states through which the river flows is needed. In addition to this, tourist routes must be drawn.

"Creating a Danube tourist ports infrastructure, cultural tours. We are working on the construction of some tourist ports along the Danube, we have expanded the tourism product 'Cruises on the Danube" and together with the countries through which the Danube passes countries, namely Austria and Germany, we are trying to increase this product because these cruises stop less on the Romanian Danube sector and more on the coastal area", Elena Udrea said.

The quality and number of the development projects in transport or tourism, including cultural projects, depends on the number of funds for Romania and their proportion in the future EU budget, meaning money for the period 2014-2020.

Translated by: Denisse-Meda Bucura
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University