The Technical Assistance Facility for Danube Region Projects (TAF-DRP) aims to provide jumpstart to projects under the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. As in the past, many project ideas often lack know-how, capacities and resources for the concrete implementation as project. Therefore, the TAF-DRP supports this implementation with advice by experts. The projects that are approved for the Technical Assistance Facility vary in topics and types. Some of the projects that have successfully submitted a request for assistance deal with nature protection (e.g. the conservation of the sturgeon), climate change mitigation (e.g. sustainable forestry) or the management of polluted areas (e.g. remediation of heavy metals in groundwater).
In the EU Communication on the Strategy for the Danube Region, it becomes clear why the EU emphasises the Danube region. As the world's most international river basin, the river Danube connects the regions of different characteristics. It has a high geographic diversity, but connects also economical and political diverse regions. Therefore, projects that target the Danube region must overcome particularly high hurdles. The strategy for the Danube region aims to support cooperation and coordination between the EU and non-EU countries of the Danube region and thus to reduce the hurdles.
The strategy is based on four pillars, addressing a total of eleven priority fields. The Ecologic Institute and ic group Hydrophil work together advising projects that are responding to the pillar "protecting the environment". So far the counseling of two projects has started. Until the end of 2016 some more projects will be supported.