Bulgaria has officially started its preparations to assume the presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) for a second time, beginning January 1, 2026. The first term was in 2018. The announcement came during a meeting of the National Implementation Group, chaired by Regional Development Minister Ivan Ivanov and attended by four other ministers.

Minister Ivanov emphasized the importance of this upcoming presidency, especially amid current challenges facing Europe and the world. He noted that in an era of rapid global change, strengthening regional partnerships is more crucial than ever. The Danube Strategy, he said, presents a valuable platform for collaboration on shared issues such as infrastructure development, connectivity, migration, demographic pressures, and climate change—challenges that cannot be tackled effectively by individual countries alone.

He called on institutions and stakeholders to begin preparing initiatives and proposals related to these topics, which could be showcased during Bulgaria’s presidency of the strategy.

Viara Mincheva, Bulgaria’s National Coordinator for the Danube Strategy, highlighted the broad scope of the initiative, which serves as a regional cooperation framework for over 100 million people, roughly one-fifth of the EU’s population. She noted that Bulgaria plays a key role in areas such as security, culture, and tourism within the strategy’s framework.