BAVARIA in the Danube Region | An Engine for Sustainable Economic Growth & Active Environmental
„The Danube Region has to be regarded more strongly as a common European economic area”, explained Eberhard Sinner, President of the East-West-Economic Forum Bavaria & former Minister of State Bavaria.
"More than 150 mio. people live in the Danube Region, this shows the importance of this region”, Sinner continued. With a common history, the region has been linked together for centuries.
In this context, the Danube River as also an important waterway has to be placed more into the center of attention, here the Rhine Success Story is the model. The Rhine used to be the dividing line between the “hereditary-enemies”, Germany and France, and is today a European waterway that connects them together. Since Eastern European expansion of the EU, along European TEN-T Networks, East-West traffic has continuously been increasing.
Neither Rail nor Road has actually such free capacities to cope with this additional demand without enormous investments into infrastructure. “If we take climate change and environmental protection seriously, we have to divert at least some traffic onto the Danube River by creating Tri-modal Hubs facilitating Multimodality and Synchromodality, with a Win-Win Situation for all Transport Modes along their individual strengths and weaknesses”, Sinner added. The Danube and its connection to the Rhine-Main-Danube-Channel is the perfect link, from the North Sea till the Black Sea, across the whole Continent.
In 2017 more than 20% of all Bavarian exports were flowing into the rapidly growing Danube Region. Subsidiaries of various Bavarian Automotive Manufacturers, their Suppliers and Equipment Providers with plants in Austria, Slovakia or Hungary contribute to the rapid economic development in these countries. The Danube Region also connects with the Black Sea Region and interconnects via Don and Volga Region also with the Russian Federation and Central Asia.
Multimodality integrating all modes of transport including Waterways generates localization of industries and trade, resulting in jobs for the people, safeguarding prosperity.
This requires upgrading and expanding research capacities, enhancement of education and further development of information-technologies, boosting competitiveness of enterprises as well as investment in people and skills.
Equally important is improving mobility, promoting the use of sustainable energy, and the promotion of culture and tourism.
Sustainable growth also requires rehabilitation of water quality, management of environmental risks and preserving biodiversity.
Bavaria is fully aware of its role and responsibility as the strongest economic power in the Danube Region, and is strongly committed to the development of the Danube-Macro-Region.