IBC Recognised as Danube Strategy Flagship Project for 2025–2026

The Inclusive Border Cycling (IBC) project has been officially designated as a Danube Strategy Flagship Project for the period 2025–2026 under Priority Area 3 – Culture and Tourism of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). This prestigious recognition acknowledges IBC’s strategic role in advancing sustainable tourism, preserving and promoting cultural heritage, and fostering territorial cohesion throughout the Danube Region.

Flagship status is reserved for initiatives that demonstrate outstanding alignment with the EUSDR’s policy objectives, serve as models of effective transnational cooperation, and show the potential to generate long-lasting benefits. For IBC, the designation highlights its achievements in integrating inclusive tourism development with the valorisation of cultural and natural heritage in remote and disadvantaged border regions. It also affirms the project’s contribution to macro-regional priorities such as social inclusion, rural revitalisation, and sustainable mobility.

IBC is one of only three projects selected as EUSDR Priority Area 3 Flagship Projects for the 2025–2026 cycle, alongside the New European Bauhaus on the Danube (NEBoD) and CultHeRit. Together, these initiatives showcase how culture and tourism can act as catalysts for regional integration, innovation, and sustainable development. Flagship projects receive heightened visibility within EU and regional networks, enabling them to attract new partnerships, secure additional funding opportunities, and share best practices with other territories across the Danube basin.

As a Flagship Project, IBC will continue to expand its inclusive tourism model by developing new cross-border cycling offers, strengthening community participation, and enhancing its transnational marketing reach. The project’s long-term vision is to position the Danube Region as a leading destination for sustainable and socially inclusive travel—where cycling becomes not only a form of mobility, but also a gateway to cultural exchange, economic opportunity, and regional solidarity.

For more information about the Danube Strategy Flagship Projects, visit the EUSDR Priority Area 3 – Culture and Tourism website.