Connecting Citizens and Strategies: Civil Society Perspectives from the Third National Danube Participation Day
On September 26, the Citizen Participation Forum, in partnership with the Danube Civil Society Forum and Foster Europe, held the Third National Danube Participation Day. The event aimed to provide up-to-date information and stimulate dialogue at national level on the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.
The meeting focused on the role of civil society in the strategy and the ways in which organizations participate in its implementation. The keynote speaker was Mr. Stefan Lüthgenau, President of the Danube Civil Society Forum.
During the discussions, the funding opportunities under the Interreg Danube Region Programme 2021-2027, which is currently accepting project proposals, were presented. Ms. Simona Slavcheva, representative of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, also informed the participants about the preparations for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Danube Strategy in 2026.
Of particular interest was the information about Participation Day, a traditional international forum organized each year by the country chairing the strategy, immediately before the annual Danube Strategy Forum. Various topics were proposed to be coordinated with the presidency and included in this forum. Mr. Lütgenau shared his experience in organizing similar events.
The work of the Danube Youth Council was discussed and presented by one of the Bulgarian delegates. In addition, the opportunity for Bulgarian participants to take part in the international conference "Roma Empowerment for the Common Labour Market," organized by the Austrian Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection within Priority Area 9 "People and Skills," was presented.
In conclusion, the participants discussed ideas on how the Danube Strategy could become more visible and recognizable in Bulgaria. It was proposed that the next National Participation Day could be organized in the spring of 2026, during which the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works would share more information with the media and citizens in order to build a more active community on the topic.
The third National Day of Danube Participation was part of the “Democratic Mosaic 2025” festival, organized by the Citizen Participation Forum in cooperation with the National Youth Forum and the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law.
