© DSP & TiCCA4DANU
From On 2-3 November 2026, the TiCCA4DANU consortium gathers in Sofia, Bulgaria for its Second General Assembly — held alongside the 15th EUSDR Annual Forum. It is a milestone moment for the project: a chance for partners to reconnect in person take stock of the first year of activities and plan the next steps, and, at the same time, to bring the project’s work directly into the heart of the Danube Region’s flagship policy event, the 15th EUSDR Annual Forum.
On 2 November, the TiCCA4DANU consortium will come together in Sofia for its Second General Assembly, marking an important milestone in the project’s implementation. The day will move beyond a general project update and focus on the substance of implementation: reviewing progress at city and regional level, reflecting on the upcoming EU Climate Resilience Framework, and discussing how local and regional adaptation activities can be strengthened through wider Danube region initiatives and support structures. Particular attention will be given to business models and investment opportunities, linking the project’s technical and strategic work more closely to questions of financing, long-term viability and implementation. Two extended mentoring and coaching sessions will then allow partners to work directly on current challenges, refine approaches and identify next steps for their respective activities. The General Assembly will also provide space to address reporting and organisational questions and, importantly, to align the consortium around the priorities and decisions that will shape the next phase of TiCCA4DANU.
On 3 November, TiCCA4DANU steps onto the wider stage with a public pre-event of the EUSDR Annual Forum.
Climate risks are intensifying across Europe — affecting communities, infrastructure, ecosystems, businesses and public budgets alike. In response, the European Union is developing a new Climate Resilience and Risk Management – Integrated Framework, built around the principle of “climate resilience by design”: embedding resilience across policies, institutions, investments and sectors rather than treating adaptation as a separate or reactive task. What could this approach mean for the Danube Region — and how can resilience be strengthened in a way that is not only effective, but also fair and inclusive?
Panel discussion — from EU policy to action in the Danube Region.
The panel, “Climate Resilience by Design: Connecting the New EU Framework with the Danube Region,” explores how the emerging framework can be translated into concrete action within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). It brings together perspectives from policy, science, regional cooperation, finance, insurance and the private sector, with speakers including:
Together they look at how climate-risk knowledge can better inform policy and investment, how research and innovation can support adaptation, and how businesses, particularly SMEs, can strengthen their resilience while contributing to new climate solutions. With floods, droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, water scarcity and biodiversity loss increasingly cutting across borders, the Danube Region is a natural testing ground for this conversation — and for what stronger coordination between European, macro-regional, national, regional and local levels can achieve.
Interactive workshop — “Fair and Just Resilience.”
The second part turns to an equally pressing question: who benefits from climate adaptation, and who risks being left behind? In the workshop “Towards Leaving No One Behind — What does ‘Fair and Just Resilience’ mean in the Danube Region?”, led by IIASA and VDI/VDE-IT experts, participants explore how the EU concept of Just Resilience can be applied across the region’s diverse social, institutional and territorial contexts. Because climate change does not affect everyone equally — and adaptation measures themselves can unintentionally reinforce existing inequalities — the session focuses on how vulnerable and underrepresented groups can be meaningfully involved in planning and implementation. Through short inputs, exchange of experience and interactive group work, participants will identify key challenges to implementing Just Resilience, share practical engagement experience, reflect on what enables or hinders inclusive participation, and help shape recommendations for more inclusive participatory processes in the Danube Region.
Who should join?
The pre-event is especially relevant for EUSDR stakeholders; national, regional and municipal policymakers; climate adaptation and resilience practitioners; researchers and innovation actors; participation and community-engagement experts; community leaders; businesses and SMEs; and stakeholders from the finance and insurance sectors. Whether you work on climate policy, manage climate risks, support municipalities, engage communities or translate European priorities into action on the ground, the pre-event is a chance to connect policy with practice and exchange experience across the Danube Region.
Later in the afternoon, TiCCA4DANU will also feature in a thematic session on digital and knowledge-based responses to water resilience and risk reduction in the Danube Region.
📍 When & where
Registration is open for all interested stakeholders – Link will be available soon.
TiCCA4DANU is an EUSDR Flagship project. The Sofia pre-event is organised in collaboration with EUSDR Priority Area 7 (Knowledge Society) and the Danube Strategy Point, with the support of the Bulgarian EUSDR Presidency / Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.
