The Danube‐Rhine water system as a European regional integration structure

This article explores the role of two large European rivers — the Rhine and the Danube — in the structured development of the European territorial system. The water resources of the Rhine river, the tributaries and connecting canals have created the greatest industrial megalopolis on the continent. In this process and under contemporary conditions, the area is connected with the Danube basin by the newly built Rhine‐Main‐Danube canal. As a result, new structures are forming, having the character of an ecological‐economic system. It is in this direction that part of the European territorial system connected with the Danube is developing. As physical‐geographical and ecological factors accelerate economic development and integrate new economic structures, new opportunities arise. With the link to ecological and water resources, development of the Danube as Europe's newest, prospective zone of expansion is predicted.