DanubeDay Dubai | Danube Macro Region goes Dubai Expo

The Danube Macro Region Business Week is at the Dubai Expo with a special event.

Steinbeis Danube Centre is there as a co-organiser on site.

EXPO DUBAI, 06.03.2022, Austria Pavilion. Events of the Danube Macro Region Business Week (DMRBW) Week have been taking place in the Danube region for a good 10 years. The focus is on how to jointly create economic growth for the Danube Region. Since the founding of the macro region and the introduction of the Strategy for the Danube Region, the DMRBW is the only recognisable event in which primarily experienced business leaders are intensively involved. Accordingly, the main topics of the Danube Day were presented and discussed at the Expo in a practice-oriented manner.

Overview of topics “Macro-regions and trade routes”

Introduction, basics and keynotes

• Dr. Erhard Busek
• Leonore Gewessler (Federal Minister Austria)
• Johann Sollgruber

Moderation: Ernst Schmied, Jürgen Raizner

Speeches:

• The New Silk Road to Europe (Mario Holzner)
• SMEs in the agri-food sector: Life Cycle Assessment and the introduction of the circular economy (Prof. Dubravka Stunca)
• Food chains and return to nature in Malaysia (Dr. Ting Ho)
• Internet of Things: Physical Distribution of Finished Vehicles (Stephen Harley)

“Connectivity and global cooperation”

Chair: Jürgen Raizner

Speeches:

• Education and entrepreneurship as foundations for economic growth (Jürgen Raizner)
• Procurement 2022: Situation, challenges and outlook (Olaf Holzgrefe)
• DuisPort – Excellence in Logistics (Thomas Schlipköther)

The DMRBW hosted the working session of the European Task Force on Carbon Pricing. Panellists: Franz Nauschnigg (moderator), Laurent Fabius, Dominique Bureau, Tom Howes, Lord Adair Turner, Nina Massis.

“Backgrounds and history”

Moderation: Ernst Schmied, Jürgen Raizner

Speeches:

• Trade, Culture and Religion (Prof. Dietmar Winkler)
• Freedom, Prosperity and Self-Responsibility (Bernhard Pichler)
• Order, Cooperation, Freedom (Georgiana Constantin-Parke)

Steinbeis. DMRBW. Dubai.

Steinbeis Danube Centres are located in the Stuttgart region and in Vienna. Strategically, the ideal combination of locations to make a difference in the Danube region. Without sustainable economic growth along the Danube, it will be difficult to meet the challenges of the coming years. When planning DanubeDay Dubai, the war in Ukraine, in the Danube region, was not thought possible. The tragic situation in Ukraine was mentioned several times in the speeches. Independence requires strength. Moving further together in the Danube region strengthens the region.

The participants of DanubeDays Dubai are willing to intensify cooperation. What is needed is better infrastructure and functioning supply chains – with new partners. The Danube region needs investment and offers business opportunities. For example, Romania, another Steinbeis location, can be the gateway to Europe for Arab and Asian entrepreneurs. Hence Dubai. A clear signal was sent that the Danube Region is open to cooperations that regionally go well beyond the borders of the European macro-region.

Supply bottlenecks burden the German and Austrian economy. The shortage of skilled workers is increasing. Solutions were discussed at DanubeDay Dubai. It’s about building new production sites, smart networking along the supply chain and how to develop the necessary skills throughout the Danube region. The German Federal Association for Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics, our Steinbeis Centres in the Danube Region and the Austrian partners of the DMRBW will develop joint projects based on the DanubeDay Dubai. Events are planned in Romania to specify the projects: one for the automotive industry in 2022 (probably in Craiova) and at least one more with a focus on logistics (with the ports of Galati, Constanta and Giurgiu).

A priority system for the various demands had to be created. This has been achieved with the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. 11 priorities have been set. Some DMRBW actors were involved from the beginning. But the idea was not new. Already Friedrich A. Hayek pointed out the necessity of long-term planning in his book “Der Weg zur Knechtschaft” (The Road to Serfdom, 1944), using the example of the Danube Region. Now is the time for action. In this respect, DanubeDay Dubai is a successful conclusion to many years of preparations and at the same time the starting signal for concrete measures.

The presentations used will be made available shortly. An official report will follow on the Danube Macro Region Business Week website.

Impressions: Photo gallery

Side event: Exploring cooperation opportunities in the Emirate of Ajman