This year shifting to the virtual arena under the direction of the Croatian EUSDR Presidency in cooperation with the European Commission, the annual ministerial forum is intended to add strength to policy guidelines for the implementation of macro-regional strategies. All participating countries agree that at the present time marked by the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, macro-regional cooperation is of paramount importance, and that macro-regions in particular can play an important role in ensuring that the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU enlargement process are achieved.

The State Secretary also pointed to the importance of cooperation and coordination during this exceptional period, as well as to the vital nature of good governance of the Danube Macroregional Strategy, so that its pivotal role in the implementation of European policies in the region can be preserved. He mentioned strengthening institutional capacity and improving regional transport connectivity, which Slovenia coordinates in association with its partners in the Danube Macroregional Strategy. In conclusion, he issued a call for the European Commission to take on a more prominent role in finding synergies between strategies, and especially in assessing the process of including strategic issues of macro-regional strategies in the EU programming documents for the 2021-2027 period.