ARR KOŠICE PARTICIPATED IN THE KICK-OFF MEETING OF THE DANUBE-ADAPT PROJECT

ARR Košice participated in the kick-off meeting of the Danube-ADAPT project, which helps Danube region countries better adapt to climate change. Partners from eight countries of the Danube region met in Bratislava for this event. The host of the kick-off meeting was the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ). Danube-ADAPT is a new international project under the Interreg Danube Region Programme, co-financed by the European Union.

KICK-OFF MEETING IN BRATISLAVA

The first transnational partner meeting of the project took place on 19–20 June 2025 in Bratislava. The event began with opening speeches and a presentation of the overall project vision. The main planner and project leader, Attila Sütő from HungaroMet Ltd., outlined the background and rationale of the project. This was followed by presentations from the leaders of the three specific objectives:

SO1 – HungaroMet (Attila Sütő)
SO2 – Babeș-Bolyai University (Horaţiu Ioan Ștefănie)
SO3 – REGEA (Karla Mlađen)

The leaders presented the planned activities, expected outcomes, and the partner organizations involved.

ARR KOŠICE AMONG THE ACTIVE PARTNERS

EXPERT WORKSHOPS AND CLIMATE DATABASE

During the first day, meetings of two thematic working groups led by HungaroMet took place, presenting progress in building the climate database. Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) organized a workshop on risk inventory and mapping climate vulnerability. Each country presented its situation and approach to addressing the impacts of climate change. The second part of the day focused on methodological approaches to climate vulnerability analysis (CVA). The HungaroMet team presented two possible approaches based on the IPCC methodology, which will serve as the foundation for the project’s pilot activities.

The events were also attended by representatives of ARR Košice – Ján Dzurženík and Martina Mihalíková – who presented our organization’s roles in the project, particularly in the areas of regional development, sharing best practices, and supporting communication in Slovakia. Our colleagues actively participated in discussions on planned activities and established collaborations with partners from Hungary, Romania, Croatia, and other Danube region countries.

COMMON GOAL: A MORE RESILIENT DANUBE REGION

The closing remarks by the main partners concluded the two-day event with a summary of outputs and tasks for the summer and autumn months. The kick-off meeting marked a successful start to a three-year collaboration that will deliver concrete solutions for better climate adaptation in the region. ARR Košice looks forward to working with the project partners and will provide regular updates on the progress and results of activities both in Slovakia and across the entire Danube region.

SECOND DAY OF THE MEETING: MANAGEMENT AND ACTIVITY PLANNING

The second day of the meeting focused on project management, financing, and legal issues. The project management team answered partners’ questions, followed by the establishment of the Project Steering Committee, which approved its rules and procedures. Gábor Mozga (NSKI), the Danube-ADAPT communication manager, provided information on project communication, presenting the visual identity and the activity plan for the upcoming period. The meeting concluded with a quiz on the climate, history, and culture of the Danube region – symbolically highlighting the diversity of the area that the project unites.

Project Objectives:

Shared Climate Data Database – Create a database accessible to both experts and the public.
Unified Method for Assessing Regional Vulnerability – Based on international standards (e.g., IPCC).
Online Platform for Climate Change Adaptation – Supports the planning and implementation of adaptation measures.
Strengthening the Knowledge of Public Institutions – Training, workshops, and online courses to improve climate risk management.