Day of The Danube, June 29, is marked in all the countries through which this river flows. Cities and towns located along the 588 km of The Danube’s flow through Serbia will be hosting interesting programmes for all generations. Serbia has an active role in the EU Danubian Strategy, to be adopted next year. More from Jelena Gligorić.

    

Since the beginning of this year, European countries have had intensive cooperation in work on the Danubian strategy, which would form the best basis for the economic prosperity in the region. The Danubian region is a central strategic region in Europe populated by 100 million people, and one fourth of the flow goes through Serbia. The Danubian Corridor – or Corridor 7 – connects Europe with the Black Sea through 10 states – Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. 

This year, at Serbia’s initiatie, the Danubian Competence Centre has been opened in Belgrade. Six East European Danubian countries – Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova are working with joint projects to strengthen the tourist offer. In the next five years, they will be financially and technically supported by the German government. 

The Day of The Danube in Belgrade will be attended by Romanian and Bulgarian officials, the state secretary for tourism, Goran Petković, said. He said that a large gathering will be organized within the Danubian Competence Centre in autumn, which project should lead to cooperation of six lower Danubian countries. They are expected to be active in the promotion of common products in the fields of nautics, culture and wine. There is already an interstate working group within the Trail of Roman Emperors projects and new tourist projects, such as fortresses in the Danube are planned. 

    

Serbia has great chances in the nautic tourism and there is an increasing number of Danubian cruisers in our ports. Last year, some 800 international vessels with more than 100,000 guests were registered. Besides Belgrade and Novi Sad, the number of tourists getting to know Serbia from its rivers has increased in Kostolac, owing to the  Viminacijum archaeological site. Works on the site of Lepenski vir , more than 8 millenniums old and one of the most ancient urban settlements in Europe, are to be completed soon.    

There are many  other attractive places along the Danubian flow through Serbia. Joint cooperation in the region is the first step in the use of tourist potentials of The Danube and a full swing is expected after the adoption of the Strategy in 2011. The activities include the EXIT music festival in Novi Sad in early July and on 8 July Belgrade will be hosting the Danubian Youth Summit. Source; Radio Srbija