Posted on September, 14 2008

Participants at the Lower Danube People’s Summit, which took place September 9-10, 2008 in Mehedinti County at the Iron Gates area in Romania, discussed practical implementation of the Lower Danube Green Corridor, including marketing for products and services connected with the area.

The 140 participants of the meeting included farmers and fishermen, tourism entrepreneurs, local, regional and national authorities as well as NGOs from across the Lower Danube areas of Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine as well as beyond.

Among the conclusions of the meeting was the commitment to further explore opportunities for marketing, including branding, related to the Lower Danube and its unique natural qualities, both for products and tourism services.

"We are under increasing pressure from foreign competition," said Saitoc Dumitru of the Lacta dairy company in Giurgiu, which draws its dairy products from cattle that graze in Danube protected areas. "We need to improve our position on the market by promoting the quality and freshness of our products and their connection to the natural qualities of the Lower Danube."

Participants had the chance to share their experience with developing and selling products and services related to the Lower Danube and its natural features. Many of the participants noted difficulties in attracting and keeping skilled and dependable labor and in tapping EU funding sources, which include funds earmarked for supporting nature-friendly products and services.  

The conference included a colourful fair that featured 70 products from across the Lower Danube region, from honey and cheese to ham, fish, bread and brandies. The products were not only tasty, but also linked to the natural qualities of the Lower Danube Green Corridor.

The Lower Danube Green Corridor Agreement signed by the governments of Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine in 2000 commits the partners to realising Europe’s largest and most ambitious wetland protection and restoration initiative, including protection of 1 million ha and restoration of 240,000 hectares of wetland areas along the last 1,000 km of the Danube.

The Second People’s Summit for the Lower Danube was organised by the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme with generous support from the BBI-Matra fund administered by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality. A similar event was organised by WWF in 2006 in Rousse in Bulgaria.


See related article on Lower Danube fair that was held as part of the Second People’s Summit.

For print-qaulity photos from the fair and the Second People’s Summit and further information, please contact Camelia Ionescu.