CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 03/2015

LE MONDE ESSAY
Diversity in the Danube Region
– a lot to be done
Economic growth is possible for all of Europe, and especially for the Danube
Region. A special fascination is the fact that 14 countries are a part of it.
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Dr. Erhard Busek
Chairman of the Institute
for the Danube Region and
Central Europe (IDM)
The cultural diversity of Europe should be recognised
as a matter of course, especially
since many European countries are already
culturally diverse in themselves. Even though the public
acceptance of this fact is there, it has in reality
not managed to become a general principle in Europe.
In individual nation states with minorities of all
kinds, there are struggles. The democratic developmental
state in a west-east divide plays a very crucial
role. Western central states, however, see cultural
independence with skepticism, fearing a weakening
of central power in an era of disintegration. Who
would have thought that Scotland and Catalonia
would create movements towards independence?
Is there a Europe of regions?
The Maastricht Treaty attempted to take the development
of regionalism into account. Political formation
was essentially weak, while the temptation
remains to refer culture to the realm of folklore and
failing to acknowledge that the constituent element
of Europe is exactly that same culture. Today, when
we speak of the finalité d‘Europe, then it refers not
only to the geopolitical concept of the continent, but
also to those values that constitute Europe. Therefore,
we are looking for the ‘narrative Europe’ and want
to “give Europe a soul” (Jacques Delors).
The special fascination regarding the Danube Region
lies alone in the fact that 14 countries are a part
of it. No other river in the world has such a variety at
its banks. It doesn’t just manifest in the language, but
especially in the culture, where you will not only find
diversity but also commonalities. Also therein lies
the fascination of the Danube Region – due to overlaps
which are reflected in music, literature, architecture
and even in the design of the space itself. Central
Europe was at times synonymous for this, but it
can’t be denied that many conflicts have arisen from
the interaction. The Danube Region has learnt from
this, which can be seen in its rich history. The Danube
Region initiative (European Union Strategy for
the Danube Region – EUSDR) is now trying to bring
people along the Danube together through culture,
although recognising diversity is one of the basic requirements.
Those trends that are trying to exaggerate
the differences – to maintain somehow that one
is better than the other – have no place in 21st century
Europe.
The prerequisite for continued existence and development
of cultural diversity makes knowledge
very necessary. The real danger lies in the development
of technical civilization that is expressed in the
satellite world, and also in the utensils of daily life.
The answer can not be that the “Fortress Europe”
should expand culturally, but to be aware of the
openness and transgression of the European spirit.
This requires history and stories – the great narratives
and myths – as well as the different languages of
culture, of which music already has no boundaries,
because it needs no translation.
EU STRATEGY FOR THE DANUBE REGION
(EUSDR):
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region was developed
based on an intensive consultation process
in 2010. It has a total of eleven priority areas which
can be summarised into four topics:
• Connecting the Danube Region
• Improving mobility and multimodality
• Promotion and utilisation of sustainable energy
• Promotion of culture and tourism, contact
between people
• Environmental protection in the Danube Region
• Restoring and protecting the quality of water
• Management of environmental risks
• Conservation of biodiversity, landscapes and the
quality of air and soil
• Establishing prosperity in the Danube Region
• Developing a knowledge-based society through
research, education and information technologies
• Promoting competitiveness of enterprises,
including clustering
• Investing in people and skills
• Strengthening the Danube Region
PHOTO: MANCA JUVAN
• Enhancing institutional capacity and cooperation
• Cooperation to promote security and to combat
serious and organised crime
What are the problems?
The chance to make the Danube a European river
has not yet been implemented. A word has to be said
about the current crisis: an opportunity to revive the
economy is to invest in infrastructure. A few examples
should be mentioned: the Danube is only intermittently
navigable because there are bottlenecks and
a shortage of water depth. This, however, must also
be seen in a multimodal way, meaning the connection
to the road and rail network along the Danube.
Let us not forget that the Danube is a link, across
the Rhine-Main-Danube canal and to the north and
north-west, and so we should also think of this connection.
Scientific cooperation is possible. There is a
conference with rectors and heads of Danube universities
with good results.
Economic growth is possible for all of Europe, and
especially for the Danube Region. We have depopulated
areas such as around the area of the Iron Gate,
where business investment is urgently needed, but
again, it needs the necessary infrastructure. Tourism
is essential in order to build it and to create jobs. There
are exciting areas of natural beauty and cultural
institutions along the Danube. An incentive for the
expansion of these activities is the fact that the number
of tourist ships that cruise the Danube has increased
dramatically. The German Society for International
Cooperation (GIZ) has several times lead a ship
along the Danube with officials to draw attention to
the river. The same category includes water projects
which not only enhance the quality of the Danube,
but also contribute to the health of the region.
Finally, the mythology of the Danube deserves a
mention. Claudio Magris, born in Trieste, wrote a
famous book about the Danube. Trieste does not lie
on the Danube. Peter Esterhazy wrote a novel about
the Danube and Dragan Velikic writes constantly
about the Danube Region in his novels. There is a
rich background setting. The Danube has a positive
mythology. It will be our challenge to create a real
background for this positive mythology.
General Manager
Karl Brüggemann
Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol
Dr.-Hans-Liebherr-Alpenstrasse 1,
A-6410 Telfs-Buchen
Tel: + 43 (0)50 809-30
interalpen.com
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46 Cercle Diplomatique 3/2015