The Danube is not a mere river, but a strategic highway that can redefine the connectivity between the Black Sea and Central Europe, said Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) Mihai Daraban at the 5th edition of the Maritime Business Week, organised on June 18 in Constanta.

“Not all EU member states treat the Danube as a strategic asset. There are countries that declare it a protected area for less clear reasons. The European response could be a unitary company, with the participation of all riparian countries as shareholders, managing the river transport infrastructure and learning from successful models, such as the Port of Duisburg. The Danube is not a mere river. It is a strategic highway that can redefine connectivity between the Black Sea and Central Europe. We must understand that Romania and our region cannot rely exclusively on energy flows from the West. All interconnections, gas, electricity, are interrupted somewhere in Austria. That is why our priority is to manage the opportunities of this region ourselves. Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan are natural logistical and energy partners, and the Black Sea corridor must be strengthened with the instruments that we can control,” Daraban is quoted as saying in a CCIR press release.

In his turn, Vice-President of the European Parliament Victor Negrescu, said: “I have strongly supported the establishment of a European maritime security hub in Constanta. Such a hub would strengthen cooperation between European institutions, NATO allies, maritime authorities and private actors, improve maritime surveillance, protect critical infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity capabilities and contribute to securing shipping routes through the Black Sea.”

CCIR, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Navigation and Agriculture of Constanta (CCINA), organised on June 18 the Danube Connectivity Panel, within the fifth edition of Maritime Business Week.

The initiative is part of the chamber’s agenda, as holder of the Presidency of the Association of Balkan Chambers (ABC) for 2026, and is part of a broader effort to strengthen regional economic cooperation in the Balkan area and the Danube, in line with the commercial and geopolitical challenges of the moment.

The panel brought together representatives of the business community, decision-makers and experts in logistics, transport and infrastructure, around a subject of strategic importance, namely the role of the Danube-Black Sea corridor in Europe’s connectivity architecture.