Launched in 2018, the Danube Ports Network brings together public and private ports and terminal operators from the Danube Region willing to engage in a long-term, active and coordinated cooperation process benefiting the port industry and regional economy at large. With the support and collective effort of its partners, the Network shall become a long-term, sustainable structure contributing to good port governance and cooperation strengthening in the Danube Region.

Through its activities, the Danube Ports Network provides:

• A well-coordinated platform for continuous and coherent transnational and cross-border cooperation among partner organisations at policy, technical and operational level;
• A stronger voice and a greater capacity to contribute to and influence along with European IWT Sector organisations the EU Inland Waterways Transport and ports policy agenda;
• Innovative approaches and sustainable solutions to environmental, economic and societal challenges confronting inland and sea ports and terminals in the Danube Region linking to the western Black Sea;
• A dynamic inclusive network offering partner organisations better channels of engagement with EU institutions and relevant port stakeholders at national, regional and EU level (ports associations, funding institutions etc.);
• Project-based access to financial support through increased use of European and national support programs for infrastructure development, environmental improvements, human resource strengthening, improved business processes and successful market activities.

Moreover, the DPN emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge and networking to keep the Danube ports at the forefront of global innovation and as such to adapt them to the needs and requirements of a future-oriented European transport system. Hence, the DPN facilitates diverse forms of cooperation and partnerships between Danube ports, leading to synergies and higher efficiency.

Coordinated by Pro Danube Management, DPN unites and harmonizes the message of the Danube Region’s inland and seaports community in Europe and beyond.

The DPN has emerged within the framework of the DAPhNE project in response to a real need for a unified, coordinated message of the Danube Region’s inland and sea ports community in Europe and beyond.

The “DAPhNE – Danube Ports Network” project (January 2017 – June 2019) was co-funded by EU Funds (ERDF, IPA) under the Danube Transnational Programme (DTP). The overall aim of DAPhNE was to reduce the knowledge, development and innovation gap between the Western and South – Eastern European Danube ports, and thus facilitate the Danube Region ports becoming efficient, sustainable elements of the overall EU transport and logistics system.

In the framework of DIONYSUS project, DPN was at the heart of coordinated project capitalisation tasks that contributed to efficient project implementation, knowledge-creation and transfer, as well as to synergies with EU transport policy initiatives and other port development related projects.