5th conference of lawmakers from the Danube countries opens in the Hungarian Parliament

Addressing a conference on Friday, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér said the Danube countries could only uphold sustainable regional development through cooperation.

Hungary considers the European Union’s strategy for the Danube region a key factor in central and eastern European political cooperation, Kövér said in his opening address to the 5th conference of lawmakers from the Danube countries in Parliament.

He said it was encouraging to see that policymakers, experts and residents of the Danube region were increasingly conscious about focused cooperation.

Hungary has contributed a number of initiatives to the Danube strategy, Kövér said.

“We have given coordinated responses to the shared challenges and we have been able to present results that are meaningful to the entire region.”

The speaker noted that the EU approved the Danube strategy during Hungary’s presidency in 2011. In 2014, Budapest hosted the second conference of Danube country deputies. Last year, Hungary was in charge of carrying out the presidential duties of the strategy and Budapest hosted the annual Danube strategy forum with several non-EU prime ministers in attendance, he added.

House Speaker of Hungary Kövér noted that in his opening address to last year’s forum, Prime Minister Viktor Orban had underlined the importance of allowing non-EU countries to join the strategy, as well as the need to increase funding for Danube region development projects.

Hungary is committed to the successful implementation of the strategy and has always considered the strategy’s most important goals as its own, Kövér said.

“Geography is stronger than any ideology,” Kövér said, emphasising the River Danube‘s role in both dividing and uniting the countries it flows through.