Taking into consideration its regional character and the various institutional structures, the overall objective of the forum of the Partnership for Improvement of Danube Infrastructure and Navigation is the improvement of the economic cooperation and developemnt between the Danube countries. Specific emphasis in this context is put on transport matters, including environmental, energy and other related topics. 

Generally, PIDIN is reviewing and monitoring regional activities within the Danube region and in the areas of its primary interest. In this context it provides a position concerning the elaboration and the implementation of regional policies and legislation, participates in the setting regional priority actions regarding transport, trade and energy infrastructure projects within the Danube River Basin, analyses and compares relevant policies and activities and voices concern and problems within regard to environmental protection standards and requirements specific to international and crucial European Inland Waterways.

More specifically, PIDIN aims at increasing the involvement of the private sector and other relevant stakeholders in the development of region-wide policies and infrastructure needs through creating a dialogue between them and prfessionals / decision-makers from the public sector in view of creating new channels of communication and a wider public debate on the needs and the possibilities offered by the Danube to all the relevant stakeholders.

PIDIN adopts a multi-stakeholder approach, with due attention to the environmental and economic aspects important for technical cooperation, whose main feature shall be facilitation of communication between the users of Danube as inland waterway and those who have the task to provide the necessary conditions for navigation and for the usage of the Danube as an inland waterway, as well as for other related economic activities.

In terms of regional policy-making processes PIDIN shall:

• identify and address issues of region-wide concern and interest in the area of, among others, waterway infrastructure, ports/transhipment, telematic services, related infrastructure, transport needs and development a/o;
• emphasise issues that bound the development of the Danube to Europe and the relevant EU integration processes, such as EU Inland Waterways, trade and transport and energy policies, standards, regulations as well as procedures;
• support the development of the various Danube cooperation initiatives already launched in various fields within the region, keeping in mind the regional objectives and policies being pursued by the European Union and the Danube Cooperation Process, in view of bringing greater value, pragmatism and added value to them;

In terms of its more specific objectives, the PIDIN shall:

• encourage and promote the development of Danube National Action Plans that shall take into consideration regional necessities and shall include concrete activities concerning infrastructure projects identified as a priority from a regional point of view;
• promote the dialogue between the public and the private and other relevant stakeholders within the Danube River Basin area, with an emphasis on public private partnerships;
• promote and support the development and the implementation of relevant infrastructure projects on the River Danube, important for the development of the trade, transport and the energy sector within the region;
• ensure that relevant environmental protection requirements are an integrated component of the above mentioned infrastructure projects and that they comply with regional and European environmental standards;

Besides the regular meetings of private and public stakeholders, PIDIN initiates its own series of activities, aimed at achieving its broader and more specific goals and at keeping all interested stakeholder groups accurately informed on new developments concerning inland waterways transport within the Danube River Basin area.  One of those activities is the regional Inventory of Danube Projects, which gives an overview of the proposed, planned and ongoing infrasructure projects, within the Danube region.