Ukraine’s situation in the EU accession process is different from Slovenia’s due to Russian aggression, State Secretary Štucin said. In this context, he stressed the importance of the principle of multi-level integration, which underpins cooperation in macro-regional strategies and enables the involvement of all levels of society in the policy-making process that helps candidate countries in their transition to EU membership. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has therefore supported a two-year post-reconstruction project in Ukraine, implemented by the Centre for European Perspective, which provides for the mentoring of five Ukrainian municipalities by Slovenian municipalities.

The Danube Participation Day takes place in the run-up to the 12th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, currently chaired by Slovenia. It aims to strengthen cooperation between civil society and local authorities on the one hand, and the governance structure guiding the Danube macro-regional strategy on the other. The 10th Danube Participation Day is focused on discussing Ukraine's post-war recovery and supporting Ukraine and Moldova on their path to the EU. The event brings together representatives of civil society, local authorities, academia and business from across the Danube region.