Lower Austria Assumes Chairmanship of “Working Community of Danube Countries"

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Governor Dr. Pröll: "Regions have a great significance for our common Europe "
 
The Province of Lower Austria will assume chairmanship of the Working Community of Danube Countries on January 1st, 2012. Today, Monday, October 3rd, in the course of the 21st Conference of governmental leaders of the Working Community of Danube Countries, the official assignment of the chair has taken place in the Vienna Townhall. Currently, the federal capital Vienna is still presiding, on January 1st, 2012 the chair will be assumed by the Province of Lower Austria until end 2013.
 
„Regions have a great significance for our common Europe on our way to the future", emphasized Governor Dr. Erwin Proell on the occasion of the assignment of the chair. The regions would offer possibilities to safeguard economic prosperity to the great Europe. Proell referred to the forecasted economic growth by 3.3 per cent in the year 2011 in Lower Austria, and the current record of 590,000 employees.

 
The Governor further informed about the Lower Austrian initiative for a continuation of EU regional funding in 2014. 143 of 173 European regions have joined this Lower Austrian initiative. Moreover, also the implementation of the Strategy for the Danube Region plays an important role, because it offers an opportunity to link regions with quite distinct development structures, states Proell.

 
The current chairman of the Working Community of Danube Countries, Mayor of the federal capital Vienna, Dr. Michael Haeupl, emphasized: "I am convinced that in the future Europe will be a Europe of regions, and this is exactly the strength of the Working Community of Danube Countries." The current overall topic would be "coming to terms with the economic and financial crisis", states Haeupl: "Europe itself is on trial."

In the course of the 21st Conference of governmental leaders of the Working Community of Danube Countries, amongst others reports were made on the activity of the working groups in the fields of "culture and science", "traffic and navigation", "economy and tourism", "youth and sports", as well as "spatial planning and environmental protection". The project "Danube Hansa" is being developed across all working groups. The literary project of "Via Danube. Literature in the course" was mentioned, too.

 As a model project also the SONDAR (Soil Strategy Network in the Danube Region) project was mentioned, in which the Department of Rural Development of the Lower Austrian Government takes part as a strategic partner. 
For further information about this project, please refer to www.sondar.eu.