REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies
Date: 2025-05-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Subjects: Adriatic and Ionian region, Alpine Region, Baltic Sea region, Danube region, EU macroregional policy, EU strategy, European territorial cooperation, economic and social cohesion, regional cooperation, regional development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 13.5.2025  COM(2025) 196 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies {SWD(2025) 116 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies 

1.  INTRODUCTION 

The  EU  macro-regional  strategies  are  political  cooperation  frameworks  in  a  defined 
geographical  area  that  are  endorsed  by  the  European  Council.  All  the  countries  within  the 
geographical area concerned, whether EU Member States or not, participate as equal partners. 
The  focus  of  the  macro-regional  strategies  is  not  one-time  activities  with  a  predetermined 
beginning and a fixed end date. Instead, they aim to bring about change at policy level, taking 
a  cross-sectoral  perspective  and  implementing  a  variety  of  actions.  To  deliver  on  this 
approach, the strategies pool resources and bring together relevant stakeholders.  

The four macro-regional strategies involve 19 EU and 10 non-EU countries. They are: 

the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (2009); 
the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (2011); 
the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (2014); and 
the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (2015). 

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From 2016, as requested by the Council1, the Commission has published an implementation 
report on the four strategies every two years. This is the fifth such report, covering the period 
from mid-2022 to mid-2024. It is complemented by a staff working document that provides 
specific information on each strategy. 

This  report only  concerns the macro-regional strategies, in  line with  the  Council request.  It 
does  not  cover  the  implementation  of  the  four  sea-basin  strategies.  These  are  cooperation 
frameworks of a similar type but with a focus on maritime activities. However, as there are 
similarities  in  approach  between  the  two  types  of  strategies,  increased  exchanges  and 
coordination between them are essential and are referred to in this report. 

2.  LONG-TERM EVOLUTION 

There is broad recognition of the value of reviewing the strategies and how they function, and 
of  adjusting  their  action  plans  to  reflect  the  changing  environment  and  to  adapt  to  new 
emerging needs and challenges. This is why the passage of time and recent crises have led the 
strategies  to  undertake  revision  processes.  These  processes  include  reviewing  priorities, 
adding  new  elements  and  orienting  the  strategies  more  towards  securing  results.  The 
strategies have taken their revision processes forward in different ways. There are no formal 
rules for such revisions, so each strategy has been able to develop its own procedures.  

During 2023-2024, the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy conducted a first revision of its action plan. 
Since  2014,  when  the  Strategy  was  adopted,  the  region  has  witnessed  a  decade  marked  by 
several  crises  including  the  COVID-19  pandemic  and  Russia’s  war  of  aggression  against 
Ukraine. Additionally, the Adriatic-Ionian region has been identified as a global climate crisis 
hotspot,  characterised  by  the  impact  of  climate  change,  biodiversity  loss,  desertification, 

1   Council conclusion on the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region, point (32): 

https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/cooperate/macro_region_strategy/pdf/eusalp_coucil_conclusions
_27112015.pdf  

1 

 
 
 
droughts  and  episodes  of  extreme  weather.  These  threats  have  a  negative  impact  on  food 
security, on opportunities for development and on the well-being of the region’s population. 
According  to  data  recently  released  data  from  Eurostat,  the  countries  of  South-East  Europe 
are facing serious population decline. This demographic shift poses significant economic and 
social  challenges.  This  is  also  why  the  revised  action  plan  introduces  a  social  pillar  with  a 
focus on youth engagement and employment, on improved cooperation and coordination on 
working conditions, and on gender equality and social innovation.  

In addition, enlargement has become one of the top priorities for the European Union. This is 
of particular relevance in a region with more candidate countries than EU Member States and 
is  why  enlargement  has  been  included  as  a  cross-cutting  theme  in  all  pillars  of  the  revised 
action plan.  

The revision process is currently nearing completion, and implementation of the new action 
plan will start in the first half of 2025. 

In parallel, the Alpine Strategy’s action plan is also being revised for the first time, to further 
align  it  with  the  EU's  green  and  digital  objectives  as  well  as  to  simplify  the  Strategy’s 
governance and create a technical support structure. The process began in late 2023 with the 
creation of a task force. The revised action plan is expected to be ready by end-2025. 

In  contrast,  the  countries  participating  in  the  Baltic  Sea  Strategy  have  taken  a  more 
incremental  approach  to  updating  their  Strategy’s  action  plan,  with  revisions  being  made 
every few years, with a view to ensuring that it remains relevant and responsive to evolving 
priorities,  challenges,  and  opportunities.  The  latest  version  dates  from  2021.  A  further 
revision process has begun, with finalisation planned for 2026.  

The  Danube  Strategy’s  action  plan  was  comprehensively  revised  in  2020.  Recent 
presidencies  of  the  Danube  Strategy  have  launched  a  process  to  adapt  the  Strategy 
institutionally and thematically without the need for any further revision of the action plan at 
this time.   

3.  DELIVERING GREEN, DIGITAL AND FAIR TRANSITIONS 

In  its  conclusions  on  the  fourth  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  macro-regional 
strategies2, the Council acknowledged that the strategies are useful tools for delivering on the 
green, digital and fair transitions as well as for regional development and growth. From the 
beginning,  sustainability  has  been  a  prominent  theme  of  all  four  macro-regional  strategies. 
The  focus  has  been  on  the  green  transition  and  environmental  sustainability  including 
sustainable  agriculture,  improvements  in  waste  management  and  wastewater  treatment, 
biodiversity conservation, the circular economy, addressing environmental risks and climate 
action, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The strategies acknowledge the 
crucial  role  of  digitalisation  in  stimulating  economic  growth  and  innovation.  Support  is 
channelled into developing digital infrastructure, skills and services to improve connectivity, 
competitiveness and efficiency by initiating activities to promote digitalisation across sectors 
such as education, maritime transport and better governance.  

The green and digital transitions bring new opportunities and  are  necessary to  maintain the 
competitiveness  of  the  EU  while  ensuring  a  good  quality  of  life  for  people  in  Europe. 
However,  these  processes  also  trigger  structural  changes  that  require  supporting  policies  to 
ensure a fair transition with the most vulnerable people, companies and regions in mind. That 

2   11060/23, Brussels 27 June 2023 

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is  why  the  macro-regional  strategies  have  initiated  numerous  initiatives  in  the  social  and 
economic fields. 

Examples of projects and processes 

The ADRIONCYCLETOUR3 project (Interreg Italy–Slovenia, Friuli Venezia Giulia ERDF 
21-27  Programme,  Interreg  Italy–Croatia)  aims  to  make  the  area  more  attractive  and 
accessible by promoting sustainable tourism linked to cycling.  

AMETHyST4 (Interreg Alpine Space) aims to support the deployment of local Alpine green 
hydrogen ecosystems to pave the way for a post-carbon lifestyle in the Alps. Project partners 
are reinforcing the role of public authorities by increasing their capacity, designing support 
services  to  roll  out  green  hydrogen  solutions  and  including  green  hydrogen  in  local  and 
regional energy strategies and plans.   

The  Living  Rivers5  project  (LIFE)  contributes  to  the  implementation  of  the  third  River 
Basin  management  plan  for  the  Danube  by  implementing  measures  to  eliminate  hydro 
morphological  pressures,  by  addressing  the  ecological  targets  of  the  Water  Framework 
Directive  and  Habitats  Directive  via  the  management  of  protected  areas  and  through 
sustainable forestry, land and fishery management.   

The Cuneo-Ventimiglia and Nice-Breil-sur-Roya railway lines were recently incorporated 
into  the  Trans-European  Transport  Network,  granting  them  access  to  funding  from  the 
Connecting Europe Facility. 

The Baltic Sea e-Nav6 project (Interreg Baltic Sea Region) is creating the next generation of 
navigational  products  and  services  that  are  compliant  with  new  international  standards, 
enabling maritime authorities and organisations to  ensure safer, more harmonised and eco-
efficient navigation on the Baltic Sea.  

The  Plan-C7  project  consortium  (Interreg  Danube  Region)  consisting  of  14  partners  from 
nine  Danube  countries  aims  to  boost  the  transformation  of  the  plastics  value  chain  in  the 
cooperation  of  plastics 
the 
region 
processors/producers and the machine industry.  

transnational 

circularity 

towards 

through 

The  SI4CARE8  project  (Interreg  Adrion)  is  focused  on  social  innovation  for  integrated 
healthcare services for the ageing population in the Adriatic-Ionian region. It facilitates the 
creation  of  an  effective  transnational  ecosystem  through  a  collaboration  network  and  a 
shared strategy, with pilots in telemedicine and accessibility to healthcare facilities.    

4.  SUPPORTING EU ENLARGEMENT 

The integration of Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan candidate countries remains a 
top  priority  of  the  EU.  That  is  why  the  Council  conclusions  on  the  fourth  implementation 
report  encourage  all  key  stakeholders  to  further  explore  the  use  of  the  macro-regional 

3   https://www.ita-slo.eu/en/adrioncycletour 
4   https://www.alpine-space.eu/project/amethyst/ 
5   https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE21-IPE-SK-LIFE-Living-Rivers-

101069837/implementation-of-the-river-basin-management-plan-in-selected-river-sub-basins-in-slovakia 

6   https://eng.gst.dk/danish-hydrographic-office/external-funded-projects/baltic-sea-e-nav 
7   https://interreg-danube.eu/storage/media/01HWW4AXQ55QDGN5YV61J5N9Z3.pdf 
8   https://si4care.adrioninterreg.eu/ 

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strategies to facilitate EU enlargement by supporting economic, social and territorial cohesion 
and resilience as well as by building trust and confidence between neighbouring countries.  

A  clear  advantage  of  macro-regional  cooperation  is  that  it  offers  candidate  countries  the 
possibility  to  work  on  an  equal  footing  with  EU  Member  States.  Additionally,  cooperation 
within  the  strategies  helps  to  accelerate  the  process  of  adapting  national  legislation  to  EU 
law.  It  facilitates  institutional  capacity  building  at  all  administrative  levels  and  helps  to 
familiarise  candidate  countries  with  the  principles  of  EU  funding  instruments,  notably  the 
principle of shared management.   

The  Adriatic-Ionian  and  Danube  Strategies  focus  on  this  issue  in  particular.  The  EU's 
commitment  to  the  Green  Agenda  for  the  Western  Balkans9  and  the  substantial  investment 
through  the  Economic  and  Investment  Plan10  and  the  more  recent  new  growth  plan11 
emphasise  the  importance  of  good  environmental  governance.  At  the  same  time,  the 
accession  process  presents  a  unique  opportunity  to  accelerate  the  transition  to  greener 
economies. That is why, in the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy’s revised action plan, all pillars and 
topics will contribute to the EU enlargement process, helping candidate countries to prepare 
their accession and align with key EU policies. 

The  recent  Danube  Strategy  presidencies  of  Ukraine,  Slovenia  and  Austria  mainstreamed 
enlargement into almost every key activity and the Strategy helps candidate countries to align 
with key provisions of EU law, for instance in water management, transport legislation and 
the green transition. It  also supports these countries in meeting their obligations under their 
association agreements with the EU. 

5.  RESPONDING TO RUSSIA’S WAR OF AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE 

In its conclusions on the fourth report on the implementation of the macro-regional strategies 
the  Council  encouraged  the  structures  set  up  by  the  strategies  to  support  Ukraine  and  to 
contribute  to  its  reconstruction  without  any  delay.  The  Council  also  invited  the  countries 
participating  in  the  strategies  to  look  for  opportunities  for  even  closer  cooperation  with 
Ukraine and Moldova in practical terms.  

As  a  response,  several  initiatives  have  been  taken.  The  2023  Slovenian  Presidency  of  the 
Danube  Strategy,  together  with  priority  area  coordinators,  the  Danube  Civil  Society  Forum 
and the 2022 Ukrainian Presidency organised a panel discussion at the 2023 annual forum on 
bottom-up  recovery  and  transformation  of  Ukraine:  The  path  of  Ukraine  and  Moldova  on 
their way to the EU. In addition, in 2023, Ukraine was invited to take part in the European 
Week of Regions and Cities for the first time, where the Ukrainian Institute for International 
Politics organised a session on skills together with the Danube and Baltic Sea Strategies. 

In addition, several initiatives have been taken at the level of individual priority areas. This 
includes  help  to  establish  refugee  corridors  between  the  European  Union  and  Ukraine, 
support in reopening railway lines and freight corridors and making natural gas phaseout in 
Danube countries a top priority. The People & Skills priority area chaired by Austria, Ukraine 
and  Moldova  puts  a  particular  focus  on  addressing  the  consequences  of  Russia’s  war  of 
aggression  against  Ukraine  in  the  education,  social  and  labour  systems.  Furthermore,  the 

9   https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/56db6af6-92c2-4ff7-a1ba-

7e8893d8e7a8_en?filename=green_agenda_for_the_western_balkans_en.pdf 

10  https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/30108255-efa8-4274-962a-

c24faee32734_en?filename=communication_on_wb_economic_and_investment_plan_october_2020_en.pdf 

11  COM(2023) 691 final, 8.11.2023. 

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Danube Managing Authority Network of the European Social Fund was used to identify ways 
to meet the needs of Ukrainian refugees through European Social Fund projects.  

Despite  Ukraine’s  geographical  location  outside  the  Baltic  Sea  region,  several  events  were 
held  under  the  Baltic  Sea  Strategy  during  the  second  half  of  2022  with  the  involvement  of 
Ukrainian representatives to explore possible areas for cooperation. The Strategy launched its 
first  cooperation  initiatives  with  Ukraine  in  December  2022  and  Ukrainian  actors  were 
invited  to  join  projects  funded  by  the  Baltic  Sea  Region  Interreg  programme  as  associated 
partners. 

6.  PROMOTING COHESION AND PLACE-BASED DEVELOPMENT 
As  set  out  in  the  9th  Cohesion  Report12,  over  the  last  few  years  convergence  between 
countries  has  not  always  been  accompanied  by  convergence  within  countries  and  better 
cooperation  between  EU  regions  could  help  to  achieve  a  more  balanced  territorial 
development. Regions and local authorities implement more than 70% of EU legislation. This 
calls for a place-based policy with a focus on local and regional best practices in providing 
quality jobs and fostering innovation, productivity, skills, green and digital transitions. 

The macro-regional strategies not only support the objectives of EU cohesion policy but also 
ensure that these objectives are tailored to the specific needs and priorities of their regions. 
The  Alpine  Strategy  helps  to  deliver  on the  concept  of  smart  villages,  which  has  promoted 
their visibility at European level and is also included in the long-term vision for rural areas. 
The  cross-macro-regional  SMART  ERA  project13,  funded  by  Horizon  Europe,  aims  to 
combat  depopulation  in  rural  areas  by  making  them  more  attractive.  In  the  Baltic  Sea 
Strategy,  projects  such  as  BSR  Cultural  Pearls14,  BaMuR15  and  BALTIC  UKH16  help  to 
strengthen  social  resilience  and  skills  in  smaller  towns,  cities  and  municipalities.  In  the 
Adriatic-Ionian Strategy, the Green and Smart Ports event in Trieste in 2022 brought together 
local  stakeholders  in  the  port  business  with  the  aim  of  fostering  integrated  and  sustainable 
business  practices.  The  annual  Mediterranean  Coast  and  Macro-regional  Strategies  Week 
organised  in  Izola,  Slovenia,  brings  together  local  and  regional  authorities,  national 
governments,  research  institutions  and  businesses  from  the  Adriatic-Ionian  region  and 
beyond.  

However, much still remains to be done, notably in developing links and synergies with EU-
funded territorial instruments (including LEADER). In addition, although some stakeholders 
report that actors at sub-national administrative levels are increasingly able to engage in the 
governance of macro-regional strategies, in some regions their capacity to act is still limited.  

7.    PARTNERSHIP – INVOLVING CIVIL SOCIETY, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE  

The  active  participation  of  civil  society,  local  communities  and  young  people  in  macro-
regional  strategies  is  essential.  The  Letta  Report17  makes  the  case  for  the  Single  Market  to 
empower  people  rather  than  create  circumstances  where  they  feel  compelled  to  relocate  in 
order  to  thrive  and  argues  that  opportunities  must  be  available  for  individuals  who  wish  to 
contribute to the development of their local communities.  

12  https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/cohesion-report_en 
13  https://smartera-project.eu/ 
14  https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/bsr-cultural-pearls/ 
15  https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/bamur/ 
16  https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/baltic-ukh/ 
17  Much more than a market. Enrico Letta, April 2024 

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All stakeholders in the macro-regional strategies recognise the importance of bridging the gap 
between  local  and  regional  actions  and  European  political  priorities  and  the  role  of  civil 
society organisations in the strategies has been growing over time. This helps to increase their 
impact through trust-building and better decision-making.   

In  a  few  cases,  and  particularly  in  the  Baltic  Sea  and  Danube  Strategies,  civil  society 
organisations  are  directly  involved  in  strategy  governance  as  thematic  coordinators  and 
members of steering groups. However, at present, civil society involvement in most cases is 
channelled  through  dedicated  platforms  such  as  the  Adriatic  and  Ionian  Initiative  and  its 
networks.  In the  Alpine  Strategy, civil  society  is  brought  in  through activities organised by 
action groups and presidencies.  

Certain  activities  specifically  address  collaboration  between  public  authorities  and  civil 
society  organisations.  Examples  include  the  We  Make  Transition!  initiative18  and  the 
KidsLikeUs  project19  in  the  Baltic  Sea  Strategy  and  the  DANUBE4all  EU  Lighthouse 
Initiative project20 funded by Horizon Europe. These projects contribute to good governance 
by strengthening administrative capacity and creating strong institutions.  

Several countries have national and regional platforms to promote civil society participation 
in  macro-regional strategies. However, the inclusion  of civil  society  in  strategy governance 
structures  and  other  working  bodies  needs  to  be  continuously  strengthened  and  regularly 
followed  up.  In  the  process  of  articulating  and  strengthening  the  voice  and  involvement  of 
civil society organisations, the European House Budapest21 successfully initiated the setting 
up  of  an  inclusive  macro-regional  civil  society  organisations  network  in  2024.  This  new 
collaborative  arrangement  has  a  cross-macro-regional  character  and  a  strong  advocacy 
function. 

18  https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/we-make-transition/ 
19  https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/kidslikeus/ 
20  https://www.icpdr.org/tasks-topics/tasks/river-basin-management/danube4all-project-brighter-future-our-

danube 

21  https://europeanhouse.hu/ 

6 

 
 
 
Macro-regional strategies and young people 

The Alpine Strategy has been a frontrunner in involving young people and was the first to set 
up  a  youth  council  in  2021.  In  July  2023,  the  Alpine  Youth  Council  produced  a  position 
paper  setting  out  the  priorities  for  its  work.  Well  established  initiatives  to  promote  youth-
related activities include the Pitch Your Project competition and summer camps.  

In  the  Baltic  Sea  Strategy,  youth  engagement  is  promoted  in  particular  by  the  Baltic  Sea 
Youth Forum. The Council of the Baltic Sea States coordinates youth representation across 
different  policy  areas,  providing  resources  to  build  the  capacities  of  relevant  stakeholders. 
The 2022 Baltic Sea Youth Declaration 2022, unveiled at the Annual Forum in Lappeenranta 
in September 2022, offers recommendations for policymakers on integrating young people’s 
perspectives. 

The Danube Youth Council was set up in October 2022. During the reporting period, two 
capacity  building  sessions  were  organised,  and  members  of  the  Youth  Council  have 
participated  in  all  the  Strategy’s  governance  meetings.  The  Strategy  have  also  set  up  the 
Danube Youth Organisation Network. This body brings together national or regional youth 
organisations or other non-profit entities in the region that work on youth issues.  

In the  Adriatic-Ionian  Strategy, 20 members  aged between  were nominated  to  the Youth 
Council in summer 2024  (two per participating  country), all aged between 18 and 29. The 
Youth  Council  will  ensure  that  young  people  can  participate  actively  and  that  their 
perspectives are represented in all the structures of the Strategy, with the aim creating more 
inclusive  policies  that  better  address  the  needs  and  aspirations  of  young  people  from  all 
kinds of backgrounds, and of fostering intergenerational dialogue and understanding.  

8.  IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY 

In all macro-regional strategies, the political level is represented by the Ministers of Foreign 
Affairs and in some cases, the ministers or authorities in charge  of cohesion policy and EU 
funding.  For  those  strategies  that  cover  candidate  countries  in  the  Western  Balkans,  the 
national  coordinators  of  the  Instrument  for  Pre-Accession  Assistance  coordinators  provide 
political and strategic guidance. In addition, all candidate countries follow the provisions of 
the applicable EU financial instruments. 

In the Alpine Strategy, regional authorities play a significant role in the political and strategic 
discussions at all levels of governance. Sub-national administrative levels are also included in 
the governance of the other strategies. However, their level of involvement varies and is less 
evident than in the Alpine Strategy. 

Fixed  rotating  orders  of  presidencies  and  a  trio  format  of  consecutive  presidencies 
(predecessor/incumbent/successor) are now in place in all strategies. The role of the rotating 
presidency is growing and has been further reinforced through the ‘Trio Presidencies’ group 
of  the  four  macro-regional  strategies,  which  meets  regularly  to  discuss  issues  of  common 
concern. The benefits of such cooperation across the four macro-regional strategies have been 
particularly stressed by those countries participating in two or three strategies.  

The trio format showed its strength in 2022 during the Ukrainian Presidency of the Danube 
Strategy when, due to the Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Presidency could 
not carry out all its tasks during a period of two months. In an act of solidarity, and given the 
situation  in  Ukraine,  the  other  members  of  the  Danube  Trio  Presidency,  Slovakia  and 
Slovenia,  agreed  to  step  in  and  the  annual  forum  was  organised  in  Slovakia  close  to  the 
Ukrainian border.  

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To  promote  the  further  exchange  of  experience  and  transfer  of  best  practice,  the  macro-
regional  presidencies,  together  with  the  Commission  and  with  the  support  of  the  Interact 
Interreg  programme,  have  continued  to  develop  cooperation  networks,  training  courses, 
methodologies, and tools. For macro-regional strategies with a maritime component, dialogue 
with the sea-basin strategies and engagement with maritime stakeholders is essential. 

Technical support structures are now in place in all four macro-regional strategies. Overall, 
these  structures  are  much  appreciated  by  those  responsible  for  implementing  the  strategies. 
However, they must be empowered with sufficient resources to be able to carry out their tasks 
properly.   

National coordinators  of macro-regional strategies are key players in strategy governance. 
They  function  as  an  interface  between  the  political  level,  to  which  they  report  on 
implementation  and  submit  proposals,  and  the  implementation  level,  to  which  they  provide 
strategic  guidance.  They  coordinate  the  work  at  national  level  and  ensure  that  all  those 
responsible for implementation in their country are actively involved in the work.  

The  thematic  coordinators  and  their  steering  or  action  groups  are  at  the  heart  of  strategy 
governance.  They  are  the  drivers  of  the  day-to-day  implementation  of  macro-regional 
strategy action plans and their role has grown noticeably.  

All  the  countries  involved  agree  on  the  importance  of  empowering  those  responsible  for 
implementation  with  clear  mandates,  effective  decision-making  capacity  and  a  clear  vision 
that places their work a broader policy context. They also agree on the need to link strategies 
more  directly  to  national,  regional  and  local  stakeholders,  as  well  as  to  the  political  level. 
Nevertheless,  while  the  administrative  capacity  and  governance  structures  within  the 
strategies  has  evolved,  challenges  remain  in  sustaining  political  interest,  ensuring  full 
stakeholder  engagement  and  in  allocating  sufficient  resources  for  implementation.  While 
some thematic areas and their steering and action groups have been successfully operating for 
a decade or more, other areas continue to face challenges.  

A  particular  issue  identified  by  many  thematic  coordinators  is  the  need  to  ensure  that  all 
countries  ensure  a  proper  participation  in  the  thematic  action  and  steering  groups.  Low 
attendance in  such groups  hampers  efficiency  and means that the whole geographic  area of 
the Strategy concerned is not fully represented. Good knowledge and awareness of assigned 
tasks is required when communicating with thematic and national coordinators. In addition, 
there  is  significant  variation  in  the  mandates  of  the  members  of  steering  and  action  group 
members. While some have the necessary means to take decisions, others have only limited 
capacity  to  engage.  A  constant  fluctuation  requires  additional  support  for  new  members  so 
they can contribute effectively to the achievements of the thematic area concerned.  

Organised  capacity-building  activities,  including  on-boarding  sessions  for  new  members 
together with a thematic focus on achievable targets and regular contacts with steering/action 
group  members  could  help  to  sustain  their  engagement.  However,  for  the  strategies  to 
maximise  their  potential,  all  countries  must  ensure  that  thematic  coordinators  are  given  the 
proper  resources  to  carry  out  their  work.  In  particular,  any  vacancies  should  be  filled 
promptly  by  nominating  suitable  replacements,  and  the  active  engagement  of  current 
members should be fostered and enhanced. And on their side, coordinators must work hand in 
hand with the political level to ensure coordination, synergies and a strong leadership.    

9.  ACCESS TO FUNDING AND THE CONCEPT OF EMBEDDING 

Macro-regional strategies do not come with their own funding. They were set up to identify 
themes  for  cooperation  by  relying  on  the  use  of  European,  regional,  national  and  other 
sources of funding. Due to the transnational character of macro-regional cooperation, Interreg 

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programmes  play  a  key  role  in  supporting  the  strategies.  The  four  Interreg  transnational 
programmes  linked  to  the  macro-regional  strategies,  Interreg  Baltic  Sea  Region,  Interreg 
Danube  Region,  Interreg  Alpine  Space,  and  Interreg  Adrion,  have  provided  a  unique 
framework  for  advancing  the  macro-regional  strategies  by  integrating  their  objectives  into 
programme  thematic  priorities.  These  programmes  have  set  up  a  framework  to  support  the 
governance  structures,  communication  and  capacity  building  of  the  macro-regional  strategy 
coordinators in a transnational context through sophisticated project schemes.  

The programmes have played a crucial role in implementing the macro-regional action plans, 
serving  as  a  key  funding  source  for  many  macro-regional  projects  across  various  areas  of 
which  numerous  examples  are  provided  in  the  accompanying  Commission  Staff  Working 
Document  and  in  the  box  on  page  3  of  this  report.  Moreover,  the  Interreg  transnational 
programmes have actively helped the thematic coordinators of the macro-regional strategies 
to use programme funds to develop macro-regional initiatives and connect with organisations 
proficient in implementing projects. Similarly, the Interreg NEXT transnational programmes 
have  effectively  promoted  regional  cooperation  in  the  Black  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean, 
supporting a wide range of projects that align with the key policy priorities of the respective 
sea basin strategies.  

However,  the  scale  and  ambition  of  the  macro-regional  strategies  stretches  beyond  the 
funding  available  in  the  Interreg  context.  That  is  why  the  concept  of  ‘embedding’  was 
developed, notably during the 2021-2027 period so that other funds could also help to deliver 
the strategies. Such funding includes the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance and the 
Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument.  It  is  an 
additional challenge to combine these sources which work according to different regulations, 
methodologies and timings, and with different structures.  

Funding  has  also  been  allocated  from  mainstream  regional  and  national  cohesion  policy 
programmes  via  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  and  the  European  Social 
Fund. Furthermore, programmes directly managed by the Commission provide support to the 
macro-regional  stategies  and  contact  points  have  been  established  in  all  Commission 
Directorates-General. As a result of discussions within the Commission, references to macro-
regional strategies were included in some of the work programmes of these programmes, and 
several  calls  for  proposals  specifically  target  the  macro-regional  strategies.  In  particular, 
LIFE,  Horizon  Europe,  ERASMUS  and  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility  and  also  the 
European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, are providing funding.   

Close cooperation between the strategies and the managing authorities helps to put in place 
an effective embedding process. Networks of the authorities managing cohesion policy funds, 
and  where  relevant  the  Instrument  for  Pre-Accession  Assistance  and  the  Neighbourhood, 
Development and International Cooperation Instrument, have been established in the Baltic, 
Danube and Adriatic-Ionian regions. In the Alpine Strategy, the Financial Dialogue Networks 
continued their work, notably in  the field  of transport.  These networks should  step up their 
activity for the future.  

Coordination  and  cooperation  are  more  effective  when  national  coordinators  are  also 
members  or  observers  of  the  managing  committees  of  cohesion  policy  programmes,  and 
equally  when  representatives  of  these  programmes  take  part  in  the  national  coordination 
structures of the macro-regional strategies. Finally, greater international competition calls for 
more  diversified  value  chains.  In  this  respect,  the  strategies  would  benefit  from  increased 
involvement of businesses and SMEs.   

9 

 
 
It  is  still  too  early  to  draw  any  firm  conclusions  from  the  results  of  the  embedding  of  the 
strategies into a  wider set  of programmes. However,  while initial  information  submitted by 
strategy stakeholders indicate that embedding may have been a successful practice in relation 
to  centrally  managed  programmes22,  there  are  fewer  examples  of  strategy  activities  funded 
from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund  or the  European Agricultural 
Fund for Rural Development. 

10. MEASURING THE IMPACT OF THE STRATEGIES THROUGH MONITORING AND 

EVALUATION 

Over the years, the macro-regional strategies have delivered a substantial number of results 
and  achievements,  ranging  from  new  coordination  and  cooperation  processes  to  the 
facilitation  and  implementation  of  specific  transnational  projects  and  activities.  To  track 
progress,  all  the  strategies  have  continued  their  work  to  establish  effective  monitoring  and 
evaluation systems.  

The  Danube  Strategy  introduced  comprehensive  monitoring  in  2022  bringing  together 
different  reporting  strands  in  one  comprehensive  online  reporting  tool.  In  2024,  a  call  for 
tender was launched to carry out a process and implementation evaluation was opened. The 
final report is expected by spring 2025. The process of revising the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy 
provided  an  opportunity  to  substantially  rethink  its  monitoring  system,  notably  by 
determining indicators and targets  for the priorities included in the new action plan. By the 
end  of  the  reporting  period,  the  monitoring  and  evaluation  framework  of  the  Baltic  Sea 
Strategy had been completed but was not yet fully operational. Ongoing work to update the 
action  plan  includes  the  development  of  new  monitoring  indicators  for  the  actions.  The 
Alpine Strategy Monitoring Matrix is the main monitoring tool to monitor the progress of the 
strategy. It is currently under review, and indicators of activities will be updated. 

To  further  enhance  the  capacity  of  all  the  macro-regional  technical  support  structures  to 
develop monitoring and evaluation systems, an initiative was taken under the Interact Interreg 
programme to organise a series of workshops during 2024. The aim was to offer a detailed 
and  practical  proposal  for  delivery,  identifying  relevant  frameworks,  methods  and  tools  to 
capture and measure the impact of the macro-regional strategies, and develop ideas on how to 
work  with  evaluation  questions.  This  could  help  to  identify  weaknesses  and  strengths  and 
raise political interest in the macro-regional strategies. 

11. COMMUNICATING THE STRATEGIES 

With  technical  support  units  operating  in  all  the  macro-regional  strategies,  communication 
activities  were  reinforced  during  the  reporting  period.  The  Baltic  Sea  Strategy  Point  began 
operations  in  October  2022.  It  has  focused  on  enhancing  both  internal  and  external 
communication efforts by refining messaging, improving stakeholders' communication skills, 
generating high-quality materials, and offering training to policy area coordinators on how to 
effectively demonstrate the Strategy's value-added effectively.  

During  the  Slovenian  Danube  Strategy  Presidency,  a  series  of  narratives  was  developed  to 
highlight the influence of the Strategy within the region. Two distinct social media campaigns 
were  conducted  in  2022  and  2023  to  raise  the  visibility  of  the  Danube  Strategy  flagship 
projects. Subsequently, a subset of flagship narratives was adapted into twelve promotional 
videos and e-banners as part of an online campaign launched in 2024.  

22  Examples provided in the Commission Staff Working Document attached to this report. 

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In  the  Adriatic-Ionian  Strategy,  activities  focused  on  improving  communication  skills  of 
stakeholders  and  engaging  young  people.  The  Communication  Academies  held  online  in 
2022  and  in  Thessaloniki  in  2023  were  central  to  these  objectives,  ensuring  the  effective 
dissemination  of  the  Strategy’s  main  messages.  Over  the  last  two  years,  more  than  20 
thematic events have been organised to hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on issues 
encountered under each pillar of the Strategy.  

The creation of the technical secretariat for the Alpine Strategy in 2022 and the launch of the 
Support  Alpine  Strategy  project  in  2023  were  important  steps  in  developing  coordinated 
communications. Subsequently, technical audits of the Strategy’s website led to  its redesign 
to ensure greater security of the data it had gathered in line with data protection regulations 
and  a  more  user-friendly  interface  in  several  language  versions.  By  integrating  the  youth 
section into the website, the Alpine Strategy could better engage with young people from the 
region through various events and initiatives. 

The  annual  fora  organised  by  the  strategies  are  major  political  gatherings  with  high-level 
political representation. Moreover, the EU’s Macro-regional Strategy Week has become the 
biggest  Brussels-based  event  dedicated 
to  connecting  Strategy  stakeholders  with 
representatives of the EU institutions, research and academia, civil society organisations and 
the  general  public.  The  2023  Week  focused  on  energy,  skills  and  funding.  In  2024,  the 
Commission expanded the Week to  also include the EU’s sea-basin strategies to emphasise 
cooperation,  coordination  and  synergies  at  all  levels.  It  included  a  new  feature,  a  ‘speed-
dating’  event  which  brought  together  representatives  from  more  than  20  Commission 
Directorates-General and stakeholders from the macro-regional and sea-basin strategies. 

However,  despite  these  efforts,  macro-regional  strategies  remain  relatively  unknown.  In 
2023,  according  to  Eurobarometer,  the  most  well-known  strategy  recorded  a  regional 
awareness of 40%. This is below the figure for cohesion policy funds, which are known by 
46% of respondents at EU level and considerably lower than Erasmus at 58%. This calls for 
reinforced efforts to further increase the public’s knowledge of the macro-regional strategies 
and  to  make  their  impact  and  results  more  visible,  for  example  by  highlighting  the  many 
successful projects and processes generated by the strategies.   

12. THE WAY FORWARD 

All the strategies have been effective in advancing the green transition and to some extent the 
digital  and  fair  transitions.  In  the  future,  work  on  the  latter  areas  in  particular  should  be 
intensified. Moreover, and although some progress has been recorded, there should be more 
emphasis on the energy  transition, complementing the work of the four Political High-level 
Groups facilitating regional cooperation on the energy transition23, the competitiveness of the 
European economy and on addressing demographic challenges including brain drain, ageing 
and  the  management  of  human  mobility.  To  this  should  be  added  the  topics  of  resilience, 
risks  and  security.  Finally,  the  role  of  the  strategies  as  accelerators  for  EU  enlargement 
should be reinforced.  

On  governance,  although  all  countries  agree  on  the  need  to  empower  those  responsible  for 
implementing  the  strategies  with  clear  mandates  and  effective  decision-making  capacity, 
many national and thematic coordinators are still left with insufficient resources and support, 
both in terms of staffing and funding. This is why all countries must ensure that coordinators 

23 The North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP), the 
South West Europe High Level Group and the Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity 
(CESEC) High Level Group. 

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are  given  the  proper  resources  to  properly  carry  out  their  work  so  that  the  strategies  can 
achieve their full potential. This is also why the macro-regional strategies should involve all 
key  stakeholders  in  their  work,  including  local  and  regional  actors  and  underrepresented 
groups  like  civil  society  organisations,  academia,  businesses  and  clusters.  To  facilitate 
continuous  dialogue  and  knowledge-sharing,  the  work  to  include  young  people  in  strategy 
governance should advance.  

As to the embedding of the macro-regional strategies within funding streams, other than the 
success  of the links with  the  transnational  Interreg programmes, it is  still too  early to  draw 
any firm conclusions. A principal task for the years to come will be to properly monitor and 
follow up on the extent to which these provisions have been taken up. 

To amplify the socio-economic, environmental and territorial  impact  of cooperation efforts, 
synergies  need  to  be  strengthened  between  the  macro-regional  strategies  and  the  sea-basin 
strategies. This will lead to further complementarities and coherence between these strategies, 
while enhancing cross-fertilisation of good practices and mutual learning. 

Despite considerable efforts, more can still be done to raise awareness of the macro-regional 
strategies, both within their regions and across Europe. All of the strategies are continuously 
working  to  increase  their  capacity  to  communicate  more  effectively,  especially  as  regards 
their impacts and results. At the same time, the macro-regional concept remains attractive and 
is receiving attention across Europe: the stakeholder consultation exercise carried out by the 
macro-regional  strategies  as  part  of  the  recent  consultations  on  the  future  of  Interreg 
generated  significant  interest  and  engagement.  Nevertheless,  if  the  strategies  are  to  play  a 
more active role in building a prosperous, sustainable and secure Europe, they must further 
develop the ability to constantly adapt to a changing environment. This is a necessity if the 
macro-regional strategies are to stay attractive and relevant.   

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