DANUBEPARKS General Assembly 2025 Held in Belene, Bulgaria
On the 21st of May 2025, from 9:15 to 13:00 EET, the 10th DANUBEPARKS General Assembly took place in Belene, Bulgaria, hosted at the Directorate of Persina Nature Park.
The General Assembly 2025 focused on reviewing the progress made throughout 2024 and setting the strategic direction for the rest of 2025 and the following 2026. Below is a summary of the agenda and main outcomes.
DANUBEPARKS General Assembly 2025 – Agenda:
Welcome
Acitivity Report 2024
Financila Report 2024
Approval of the acts of the Management Board
Activity Plan 2025-2026
Budget Plan 2025-2026
New members presentations
Voting
Discussion & other issues
The Assembly began with welcoming speeche by Mr. Vlatko Rožac, President of the DANUBEPARKS Association. Following the opening remarks, Mr. Matej Marušić, Secretary General, presented the Activity Report for 2024, highlighting the Association’s progress in river restoration, cross-border cooperation, and public engagement with focus on the Danube-wide projects (LIFE WILDisland, LIFE DANUBE Free Sky), the Horizon Europe DANUBE4Aall project, Open Rivers Programme "Paradise Lost" and the Flagship species project "DANUBEdragonCONSERVATION".
Mrs. Anita Cheneshkova, Office Manager, presented the DANUBE WILDisland Ramsar Regional Initiative (RRI) activities for 2024. On this occasion, DANUBEPARKS members were also invited to visit the new DANUBEPARKS office located in the administrative building of Persina Nature Park, marking an important step in strengthening local coordination and visibility of the Association's work.
In addition, Mr. Marušić underscored key milestones in visibility and outreach, advocacy and policy involvement, and the awards and acknowledgments that reinforced the Association’s growing impact.
After Treasurer Ms. Anna Pfahler presented the Financial report for 2024, and Mrs. Susanne Bloch delivered the Audit Committee's financial audit on behalf of its members (Mrs. Christiane Kotz and Mr. Attila Fersch) who were unable to attend the meeting in person, the General Assembly unanimously approved the acts of the Management Board.
The session continued with the Presentation of the Activity Plan and Budget for 2026 by Mr. Marušić. These plans reflected DANUBEPARKS' ongoing strategic vision and were shaped significantly by the progress of the followirng projects:DANUBE4all, Lost Paradeis, DANUBEdragonCONSERVATION, Establishing the Danube WILDisland RRI, and new citizen science and education initiative, the Community Engagement for Wetland Conservation - Persina4Danube project, which is expected to be implemented in the second half of 2025.
The agenda continued with discussion about potential cooperation with SavaParks, and the presentation of 2 new membership requests: Mr. Siegfried Geißler presented the candidacy of Ladratsamt Donau-Ries and Mr. Marušić, of the NGO Verde e Moldova.
All members participated in the voting process and unanimously approved the Action and Budget Plan for the years 2025-2026. Additionally, the General Assembly welcomed new members to the community, further strengthening our network. We are delighted to extend our warmest congratulations to our new observer members, Ladratsamt Donau-Ries and Verde e Moldova, and look forward to their valuable contributions and active involvement in our shared mission.
With strong institutional cooperation, growing outreach, and impactful conservation work along the Danube River, DANUBEPARKS moves confidently into its next year of action. The 10th General Assembly reinforced the commitment of all members to continue building a "Living Danube" through collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility.