IDM Director holds keynote at the 11th Danube Salon in Berlin

© LVBW Berlin / Thomas Köhler

On 5 March 2026, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer delivered the keynote address at the 11th Danube Salon at the Representation of the State of Baden‑Württemberg in Berlin. The established format once again underlined the long‑standing commitment of the Baden‑Württemberg state government to the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) and to a cohesive, outward‑looking Europe. With around 520 participants on site, the Salon reached a new level of visibility and confirmed the strong interest in the future of the Danube Region. 

The event, organised by the State Ministry of Baden‑Württemberg together with Bulgaria as this year’s partner country and EUSDR Presidency, brought together representatives from politics, diplomacy, administration and civil society from across the Danube Region. Among the high‑level guests were Baden‑Württemberg’s Minister of Transport Winfried Hermann, who opened the evening, as well as Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Germany Grigor Porozhanov and numerous ambassadors and senior officials from Danube states and EU institutions. 

In his keynote “Bridging Regions by Enlarging the Union: Economic Resilience and Cohesion in the Danube Region”, Sebastian Schäffer argued that EU enlargement remains one of the Union’s most effective tools for strengthening economic resilience and political stability along the Danube. He showed how the 2004 enlargement has generated substantial growth both in new and old member states and how Baden‑Württemberg’s export‑oriented economy in particular has benefited from deep value‑chain linkages with Central and Eastern Europe. 

Schäffer emphasised that the Danube Region is not a peripheral space but a core laboratory for Europe’s future: a corridor where enlargement policy, cohesion policy and connectivity projects intersect. Referring to current debates in member states, he underlined the importance of preparing societies – not only institutions – for the next wave of enlargement, and of making the tangible benefits of integration visible well before formal accession. In this context, he pointed to initiatives supported by the Baden‑Württemberg state government within the EUSDR as practical examples of how regional cooperation can underpin accession perspectives and strengthen trust in the European project.