Danube Financing Dialogue

The Danube Financing Dialogue (DFD) is a pilot initiative of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region and started in 2012. The DFD consists of a series of events which bring together organisations from the Danube Region looking for financing for their projects and financing institutions that can provide financing support from the entire Danube Region. The DFD provides a unique platform for stimulating match-making of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), public organisations, local authorities and other project promoters on the one hand, as well as national and international financing institutions on the other hand. The DFD is coordinated by PAC 10 (Priority Area Coordination 10 of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)) of the City of Vienna, with the financial support of the European Commission. The events are hosted by the National Bank of the respective Danube country. Especially SMEs have a crucial role to play and are the backbone of the EU’s internal market. With regard to this, the DFD advocates an optimistic attitude as a solid basis for the economic future of the Danube macro-region. It also goes beyond simple events since it provides a long-term framework for discussion in a macro-region that was not only particularly hit by the financial and economic crisis, but also by major conflicts in the recent past. It intends to give new impetus to the already existing, but often unknown, funding sources for project promoters. This is even more important with the new EU multiannual financial framework (2014-2020) ahead.

After the first edition held in Vienna in March 2012, the second edition was organised on 24-25 January 2013 in Belgrade and hosted by the National Bank of Serbia. The third issue of the Financing Dialogue was held on 30-31 October 2013 back-to-back with the 2nd Annual Forum in Bucharest. The 4th DFD was held in Zagreb on 23-24 April 2015. With more than 800 stakeholders involved and approx. 100 projects presented in its first four editions, the DFD has contributed significantly towards the mutual exchange of information in the Danube Region, and shows the need for a sustainable platform on financing to accompany the development of initiatives in the Danube Region in 2014-2020. A report issued by Lechner + Reiter Social Research in 2014 has shown that most participants see a clear added-value of the Danube Financing Dialogue and consider it to be a unique opportunity for targeted networking.