On October 9, 2025, Győr hosted the international conference Future of Businesses within the Danube Region, aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the current challenges and perspectives of businesses in the Danube region.
Held at ETO Park Hotel in Győr, the English-language event was initiated by the Hungarian national coordinator of the EU Danube Region Strategy (EUSDR), under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Professional partners in the organization and implementation included the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the Danube Chamber of Commerce Federation (DCCF), the National Development Center (NFK), and the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GYMSVKIK).
The program aimed to foster cooperation between the countries of the Danube region, showcase good practices related to sustainable development, and support the competitiveness of businesses in the region. The event served as a key platform for networking and knowledge sharing among experts from the participating countries and provided valuable information on funding and grant opportunities.
During the day, four thematic panel discussions took place, where 16 experts from 8 countries (Croatia, Austria, Germany, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, and Hungary) shared their knowledge.
The first panel was focusing on fundraising for businesses in the Danube Region, presenting EU and national funding sources along with best practices. The second panel discussed the role of networks in economic development, emphasizing the importance of cooperation among clusters, chambers, and development agencies. The third panel analyzed the relationship between competitiveness and the labor market, with special attention to the intersection of education, innovation, and business development. The closing panel explored sustainability, value creation, and leadership topics, highlighting the growing importance of environmental and social responsibility in the business sector.
Speakers came from diverse organizational backgrounds: governmental bodies (e.g., Croatian Ministry of Economy, Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), development agencies (HEPA Hungarian Export Development Agency, HAMAG-BICRO, Zenica Development Agency – ZEDA), chambers of commerce (Danube Chamber of Commerce Federation, Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina, Lower Austria Economic Chamber), international and EU funding programs (National Development Center, Interreg Danube Region Program, Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum, EIT), a higher education institution (Budapest University of Technology and Economics), cluster organizations (Romanian Cluster Association – CLUSTERO), and business representation and support organizations (Association of Environmental Service Providers and Manufacturers, Pannon Business Network, Brillfield Partners, PC Trend Ltd.).
The valuable discussions concluded that the Danube Region is a rising economic engine within the EU, offering a compelling mix of strategic location, economic diversity, skilled talent, and growth sectors. With continued investments in infrastructure, governance, and innovation, it has the potential to become a leading growth engine for the EU in the years ahead.
After the closure of the conference, participants visited the Scientific and Innovation Park of Széchenyi University, as well as the workshops of the Student Innovation Center located on the university campus.
The BCCI International Project Office has been actively involved for years in implementing the goals of Priority Area 8 of the EU Danube Region Strategy (EUSDR), which supports the competitiveness of businesses in the Danube region. Representing BCCI at the conference, Mónika Harsányi, Head of International Projects, served as moderator for the first panel and as participating panelist at the closing panel. Under her leadership, the International Project Office has played an active role in 16 domestic and international projects over the past eight years, supporting areas such as the creation of sustainable and competitive business environments, sustainable tourism development based on ethnic and cultural values, promotion of green transition, support for social dialogue, integration of multicultural entrepreneurs, and intellectual property development.
Following the conference, the 3rd International Danube Cup Research Conference took place also in Győr. The event aimed at academic knowledge exchange among Danube region universities in the fields of business economics and research.
News published on the topic previously: https://bkik.hu/en/news/hirek/future-of-businesses-within-the-danube-region-international-conference-in-gyor
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