LAG “Central Istria” takes part of the 7. Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

As the key event of the 2018 EUSDR Presidency, Bulgaria and the European Commission, in cooperation with Danube Transnational Programme have jointly organized the 7th Annual EUSDR Forum which was held on 18 – 19 October 2018 in Sofia with more than 900 participants from all over Europe. The main focus of the event was tourism development as a precondition to economic growth and territorial cohesion.

LAG “Central Istria” participated at the Forum as one of the teams representing INSiGHTS partnership. Other than taking part in the sessions covered by the agenda, LAG “Central Istria” focused on presenting different stakeholders with the main objectives and results of the INSiGHTS project as well as discussing future cooperation and follow up possibilities within the topics covered by the project.

The Annual Forum covered topics of particular importance for the Danube region related to preservation of cultural and historical heritage, new technologies and digitalization in the tourism sector, ensuring safety and security in tourism, transport connectivity, and mobility. Issues related to synergy and consistency between macro-regional strategies for achieving the common objectives of the EU and for the future of those strategies after 2020 were referred to as well as the sustainable tourism mobility and security in public spaces which were the topics of two parallel thematic sessions. Within the Annual Forum, a thematic exhibition showcasing projects focusing on tourism and preservation of cultural and natural heritage in the Danube region was organized. The open-air photo exhibition was available for visitors in the period 10-20 October on the “Lover’s Bridge”, next to the venue of the Annual Forum – the National Palace of Culture.