Priority Area Coordinators (PACs) of the Priority Area 6 (PA 06: preserving biodiversity, landscapes and the quality of air and soils) of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) in collaboration and with support of INTERACT held the Meeting of macro-regional coordinators in Zagreb, Croatia, 4-5 December 2019.

The aim of the meeting was to promote the exchange of experience and to explore potential for further cooperation between the currently four MRS in the field of ecological connectivity. The participants also presented initiatives that could possibly be transferred to other macro-regions.

The main target group of the meeting were the thematic coordinators of all four MRS, project beneficiaries and Interreg programme bodies dealing with the topic.

During the first day of the two-days meeting the focus was on the EU framework for biodiversity and ecological connectivity (Green Infrastructure); Territorial potentials for a green infrastructure; Biodiversity with a special focus on ecological connectivity, in the MRS and other frameworks; Initiative/projects (ongoing initiatives and best practices that could possibly be transferred to other regions or extended to cross macro-regional initiatives) and group discussion to identify initiatives with cross-MRS potential. The second day comprised several topics: Thematic cross- macro-regional cooperation: what, who and how, discussion about Cross-MRS cooperation initiatives and further exchange between MRS-thematic coordinators as well as final considerations for the discussions and the next steps.

EUSDR Priority Area 6 coordinators underlined that there is obvious need and benefit to share experiences and practices in addressing the selected MRS topic. Sharing “know-how” was underlined added value for cross-MRS collaboration. However, it should be noted that biodiversity and ecological connectivity topics have various focusses in the MRS (from the point of view of green connectivity, blue connectivity, environmental protection, maritime spatial planning, etc).

The EUSDR Priority Area coordinators proposed to organise next meeting of the MRS thematic coordinators in the first half of 2020. The meeting could elaborate further cross-MRS cooperation modalities and a roadmap.