1. PA7 Knowledge Society - update
13 June XV PA7 SG Meeting, Bratislava

2. PA7 recent update
Progress Report on DTP-PAC1-PA7 project (1/1/ /12/2017)
Priority Area Coordinators (PACs) meeting (February 2018, Sofia)
PAC + NC + EC + DTP meeting (May 2018, Sofia)
Horizontal cooperation with PA1a + PA4 + PA5 + PA6 (April 2018, Budapest)
Visegrad 4 (HU+SK+CZ+PL) + SI meetings on R&D&I (April 2018, Budapest)
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

3. Progress report on PA7 activities (1)
supporting steering group members in EUSDR implementation,
supporting communication and visibility of PA7,
supporting coordination activities and networking between PA7 actors and stakeholders involvement.
The cordination was focused on the following specific objectives:
organization of 2 steering group meetings and 1 DFCN meeting,
participation and representation at various capitalisation events, e.g. COST senior officials meeting (NL); Danube INCO.net meeting + RIS3 conference (MD), 2 virtual conferences supporting UA participation in EUSDR, JPND workshop held in AT, DTP capitalisation event organized in AT, Czech innovation days, Danube participation Day and EUSDR annual forum in HU, SFIC meeting in BE, Steering Platform on R&I for Western Balkans in RS, ministerial meeting on R&I in RS etc.,
organization of meetings with various stakeholders, e.g. H2020 MSCA, Erasmus+, CEEPUS, DRC, JRC, SAIA, etc.,
preparation of promotion materials (project roll-ups, posters, pens, folders, badges) + disseminating information via PA7 official webpage,
preparation of PA7 Position Paper for FP9,
progress related to RIS3 development in DR countries.
The most important outcomes were:
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

4. Progress report on PA7 activities (2)
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

5. Priority area coordinators meeting (1)
Participants:
PACs, EC (DG REGIO, EC, Commission), DTP, Interact, representatives of Priority Areas, Bulgarian Presidency (BG PRES)
Denitsa Nikolova (Bulgarian NC, Deputy Minister of Regional Dvlp. and Public Works)
BG Presidency and the European Commission
in the context of formulating the new European agenda for the period after 2020, this year shall be crucial to come up with solutions on the role and impact of the Strategy for the regional development along the Danube River
the importance of the support for the implementation of joint strategic projects that contribute to more visible effects on the economic development and territorial cohesion
Priorities of the BG PRES of the EUSDR
ensure continuity and further improvement of the governance and coordination
establishment of the new body that will support the Danube Strategy, in which procedure the DTP will play an important role
special emphasis will be put on tourism and cultural heritage and their contribution to the economic growth, employment and better connectivity in the Danube region
All PAs reported for 2017 a number of activities on the priorities in the Action plan, meeting of SGs, workshops, other events and projects.
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

6. Priority area coordinators meeting (2)
From the Minutes of the meeting related to PA7:
PA7 stressed on the succesful pilot call on multilateral cooperation in the Danube Region with more than 50 received project proposals.
There is also an interest for cooperation beyond the Region (France, Italy, China).
Continuation on finding appropriate financial instruments which have to be addressed as an issue in the next MFF post 2020.
PA7 asked the EC if this money from the operational programs could be used as co-financing instrument in the last DTP call.
PA7 stressed the importance of the DTP Capitalisation Strategy, supported the revision of the EUSDR Action Plan and expressed support to the BG PRES in relation with the preparation of the Annual forum.
PA8 mentioned the lack of interest in participation in SG and WG and need of updating the lists of participants. Two new working groups are being planned with focus on digitization and woman entrepreneurship.
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

7. PAC + NC + EC + DTP meeting (1)
Roadmap towards the revision of the 2010 Action plan
over the years, the EUSDR priorities have evolved, and the actions and projects need to be updated, transformed or replaced.
therefore, the Action plan should, without doubt, be reviewed in light of the new emergent needs and changing contexts
on the aspect of the need of revision of the Action plan, there is a full consensus that such a revision is needed
The Commission shared that there are two options:
either we continue business as usual, and then we go for a technical update of the Action plan, we make little changes, and we continue,
or we go for a deep revision, which is not just a revision of the actions, but we touch also on other aspects: governance, the way we work, the way we measure, and that was already expressed also by referring to the political added value of the revision.
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

8. PAC + NC + EC + DTP meeting (2)
Commission inputs:
Rotation in PAs - nobody has proposed to be mandatory, but we had it in the implementation report in 2016, and we bring it up again in the next report
One very important fact which cannot be contradicted is the participation to the SGs!
Very low political commitment of MSs in the SGs
Another important point – we have new countries which are willing to become coordinators; this doesn't necessarily mean we have to go for rotation, but we have to find a way to involve the countries which are asking to become PACs (MG-UA)
We would like to have political added value of the revision, a political added value goes beyond making an update of the targets and of the actions, but something which touches on the way the Strategy works and delivers
The timing for the revision - we have to be ready now, because it is these days that the papers are circulated, which sets the foundations for the future alignment of the programs with the strategies
DG REGIO is willing to go deep into a process which really brings an added value for achieving more results and where we can have much more active participation.
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

9. PA7 Steering Group Members
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

10. Horizontal cooperation with other PAs (1)
PA7 cooperates mainly with PA4 (both co-coordinated by Slovakia), with PA8 because of the scope and similarities in targets and linkages between stakeholders
PA7 + PA9 – capitalisation within thematic pole 9
PA7 + PA10 – capacity building mainly within the citizen oriented science
PA7 + PA5 – common events on education in flood risks, circular economy, waste managment
PA7 + PA1a – cooperation regarding governance issues
15th PA4 SG MEETING ON 18 APRIL 2018, Budapest
First Macro-regional Strategies’ Seminar on Water Management 
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

11. Horizontal cooperation with other PAs (1)
XV PA7 SG Meeting, Hotel Bôrik Bratislava

12. V4+SI task force
V4 Task Force in the domain of Science, Technology, Innovation and Start-ups supporting participation of CEE countries in the EU-programmes
HU - V4 presidency initiated this Task-force with the aim to establish a coordination mechanism to prepare a joint position during the negotiation phase for the next FP
The following topics were identified:
widening measures (SI called for calling it rather “strengthening excellence”),
researchers’ salaries, remuneration,
synergies (between funds, policies, EU and national level),
improving evaluation (e.g. how to measure impact),
governance and role of member states,
macro-regional aspects and partnerships.
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13. facebook.com/DanubeRegionStrategy
facebook.com/DanubeRegionStrategy
twitter.com/eusdr
For more information: