On May 29, 2026, a large-scale international event, the Ukrainian Danube Conference 2026, took place in Odesa. The event was organized by the Association “EU Strategy for the Danube Region” in cooperation with the Ukraine Rebuilding Alliance and the Lower Danube Basin Council.
The conference became a key platform for professional dialogue regarding the future of the Ukrainian Danube region, bringing together government officials, Ukrainian civil servants, experts, the business community, and international partners, including diplomats from the USA, to shape a new strategy for the development, security, and logistics of this macro-region.
Evidence of global attention to the Danube region was the participation of the Chairman of the US House Committee on Education, Tim Walberg, and the US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, Kurt Volker, who emphasized unwavering support for Ukraine and the importance of protecting the Danube Basin.
At the center of discussions at the forum was the need for a comprehensive transformation of the region. According to the shared opinion of the speakers and guests, the Danube region has all the capabilities for economic, cultural, environmental, and logistical development. The unique geography of the region, combining proximity to the EU with the crossroads of river and sea routes, can become a driver of economic growth for the entire Odesa region and adjacent oblasts.
The region’s special significance grew after 2022, when the Danube ports became one of the main channels for Ukrainian exports. Alongside the development of port infrastructure, projects in the fields of renewable energy, biomethane production, and deep processing of agricultural products hold significant potential. This is important not only from the perspective of exporting to EU countries but also for strengthening the energy independence of the entire country.
The ecological role of the region became one of the key topics in the speeches of the speakers and international guests.The Danube region is among the most valuable natural areas in Europe, concentrating unique wetlands, protected areas, and biodiversity hotspots of international significance. The region encompasses the Danube Delta, lake systems, and coastal ecosystems that serve as habitats for hundreds of species of birds, fish, mammals, and plants, a significant portion of which are under protection. Under the conditions of the European Green Deal, supporting the environmental sustainability of the region is a priority task for Ukraine.
During the conference, a development plan for the Danube region was presented, uniting the region’s strategic opportunities, investment attractiveness, and political will. Presenting the plan, the President of the Association “EU Strategy for the Danube Region,” Yuriy Maslov, noted:
“The Ukrainian Danube region is one of the most strategically important sub-regions of Ukraine and the Black Sea space. It combines a unique ecological cluster of global significance, an important transport and logistics hub for international trade routes, and a key element of economic and food security in the world.The full-fledged development of our region is impossible without deep integration into European macro-regional structures, in particular through the instruments of the EU Danube Strategy.”
In the face of wartime challenges, the Danube region has become a critical export artery. The Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Andriy Kashuba, speaking about the transport potential, emphasized:
“Today, the Ukrainian Danube region is confidently emerging as a new logistics center of Europe. Our absolute priority is the development of ports, ensuring the safety of navigation, and the full integration of our transport network into the European TEN-T corridors. It is also important to focus on the creation of industrial parks in the Danube region as one of the tools for attracting investments and development. We must use existing vacant plots as efficiently as possible to create added value and attract additional cargo volumes to the region. Today, legislation provides all the opportunities for this.”
Projects for physical reconstruction and the creation of new transport and water arteries were presented by the Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Serhiy Sukhomlyn:
“To ensure the resilience of the region, we are implementing key recovery projects. Strategic plans include the construction of the M-15 Odesa-Reni highway bypassing the village of Palanka and a rapid infrastructure connection across the Dniester River. At the same time, drinking water is a critical issue: the construction of the Suvorove and Bolhrad main water pipelines will provide water from the Danube River to more than 20,000 residents in dozens of settlements.”
The Danube region must become a leader in sustainable development. The Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, Hanna Zamazieieva, focused on energy prospects:
“The Ukrainian Danube region has all the prerequisites to become a driver of the European ‘green transition’.The development of sustainable energy in the region will stimulate the local economy, strengthen Ukraine’s energy independence, and ensure deeper integration into the European energy market. The region is characterized by some of the highest rates of solar insolation and wind potential in Ukraine, as well as a powerful raw material base for bioenergy. This opens up colossal prospects for the production of biomethane, ‘green’ hydrogen, and the development of the Danube Hydrogen Valley.”
After the speakers’ presentations, a logical continuation was the panel discussion and Q&A session moderated by Pavlo Unhurian. The panel participants thoroughly discussed key sectoral aspects and agreed on a common thesis: the Ukrainian Danube region requires exclusively comprehensive and systematic development in all directions simultaneously.
During the discussion, their positions were presented by:
Yuliya Hryshyna, Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee, who stressed that education, innovation, and unlocking the potential of human capital are fundamental drivers of the macro-region’s economic resilience.
Pavlo Bulanovych, Acting Head of the Basin Authority of Water Resources, who presented a strategic vision for water resource management of the Lower Danube. He emphasized the need for the urgent revitalization of water bodies (in particular, the Kyslytskyi branch) and the attraction of investments within the framework of Ukraine’s official presidency of the ICPDR in 2026.
Serhiy Hurskyi, Head of the State Service of Maritime and Inland Water Transport and Shipping of Ukraine, who outlined the vectors for the development of shipping and the formation of powerful multimodal logistics on the Danube.
Viktor Kurtiev, CEO of the Metropoliya Group, who complemented the energy block of the forum with a large-scale vision of the “Danube Hydrogen Valley” project, which is designed to transform the region into a pan-European export hub.
Taras Kot, First Deputy Head of the State Fisheries Agency, who presented a plan for the restoration and development of reclamation systems, which is a critical condition for preserving and increasing the agrarian potential of Southern Ukraine.
Summarizing the results of the event, the President of the Association “EU Strategy for the Danube Region,” Yuriy Maslov, concluded that all the presented developments are united in a single concept:
“All these initiatives, from land reclamation to logistics, form a single national project ‘Ukrainian Danube Region 2026’. We must implement a long-term vision of development and a systemic roadmap ‘Danube Region 2035’ to turn the region into a southern outpost of national security and a reliable economic bridge between Ukraine and the European Union.”
The Ukrainian Danube Conference 2026 demonstrated that only through the consolidation of efforts by the state, local communities, and international partners will we be able to realize the immense potential of Southern Bessarabia.
We sincerely thank all speakers, participants, and partners for the constructive dialogue and shared movement towards building a strong and European Ukrainian Danube region!
