The Partnership for Improvement of Danube Infrastructure and Navigation (PIDIN), is a forum, within which economic development aspects of the Danube River Basin are being dealt with. Primary focus of the discussions  are inland waterways transport, navigation and cooperation within the Danube River Basin area, including related topics such as environement, navigation, infrastrucure, energy, project implmentation and coordination a/o.

With this initiative, SECI had in mind the importance of the Danube as an important, primarily European, as well as international inland waterway and the low level of usage of its actual potential within the last decade. This situation is partly due to weak trans-boundary cooperation concerning transport issues and especially, due to lack of cooperation and coordination among the various groups of stakeholders from this area. Therefore, PIDIN promotes inland waterways transport on the Danube as environmentaly friendly transport mode, not without taking due care of the environmental and other related issues. This goal is in compliance with European Union policies for balanced transport loads across the three main transport modes i.e. road, rail and waterways. Attracting more cargo from the road transport sector to the inland waterway shipping would considerably reduce the negative environmental effect of CO² emissions in the Danube region and hereby contribute to the challenging post-Kyoto protocol targets. It will also contribute to reducing road congestions. Nevertheless, in order for this to be achieved, certain prerequisites are necessary. Such prerequisites and the issues arising in the process of creating those prerequisites are key topics for PIDIN and its related activities.

PIDIN is open to public sector professionals and decision makers from all governance levels, private sector representatives and investors, regional /international organisations and other involved stakeholder groups. Bringing these various interest groups together was a prerequisite for the encouragement of an open debate and the exchange of information on regional priorities and problems as wel as on related projects and activities within the Danube River Basin area.

The PIDIN forum emerged as a result of the need for more coordinated and harmonised regional approach towards the use of the Danube as an inland waterway, regionally as much as in the context of the new EU transport and infrastructure policies, environmental standards, requirements and challenges, and global trade necessities. The lack of regional infrastructure planning and the lack of mutual understanding of the needs and the difficulties of the various stakeholders involved, contribute to the realisation of isolated solutions to problems which require a comprehensive, integrated, cross-sector regional approach and planning, necessary for long-term, sustainable development of the Danube River Basin area. This certainly also contributes to a decreased economic development within the Region as well as belated and low benefits from this perspective. A broader process of consensus building and mutual understanding of the difficulties and the problems of all the relevant stakeholders, as well as a regional and joint integrated approach for deeper economic cooperation and development within the Danube region is the guiding vision behind the activities developed within the framework of PIDIN.