Evaluation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR): Fifteen Years of Socio-Economic Convergence

Abstract

The article analyzes how the macro-regional governance model of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region has stimulated real socio-economic convergence between member states, as well as the geopolitical role of the model as a vector of support in the pre-accession process of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The study aims to assess whether the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region has functioned as a real engine for reducing disparities across the entire macro-region or whether the convergence dynamics observed over the last decade and a half have been exclusively the result of national sectoral policies and structural funds.

The methodology adopted combines quantitative analysis of beta and sigma indicators - macroeconomic convergence (based on GDP/capita at purchasing power parity, employment rates and regional competitiveness indices) with a qualitative assessment of the pillar projects (connectivity, environment, human capital and governance).

Pointing out the limits of the research, the study's conclusions indicate a general trend of economic convergence at national level, highlighting a deeply asymmetric balance at regional level, where the gaps between developed urban cores and rural or cross-border peripheries have deepened. The article proposes a series of strategic recommendations for the EUSDR architecture, highlighting the need for a dedicated financing mechanism and a deeper integration of green and digital axes to ensure balanced and resilient territorial development.