The SteelCityZen project

SteelCityZen – Diversification of the labour market in industrial cities of the Danube Region through enhanced cooperation among stakeholders and skills matching to support local transitions and promote long-term sustainable development.

About the Project

The SteelCityZen is a transnational cooperation project funded by the Danube Region Programme, uniting 11 partners from 9 countries to tackle a shared challenge across the Danube Region: the vulnerability of (mono)industrial cities facing economic transformation. These cities, often reliant on a single, resource-intensive industry, are particularly exposed to employment risks linked to structural shifts, such as green and digital transitions.

The project aims to empower these municipalities to diversify their local labour markets and support inclusive, sustainable development. This will be achieved through strengthened stakeholder cooperation, improved coordination between municipalities and employment actors, and the development of innovative tools for local skills assessment and matchmaking.

Project Partners:

· LP/PP1: Municipality of Dunaújváros Magyarország (HU) - DUN;

· PP2: Municipality of Galati România (RO) - GAL;

· PP3: Statutory City of Ostrava, City District Sleszká Ostrava Česko (CZ) - OSTR;

· PP4: Moravian-Sileasian Employment Pact Česko (CZ) - MS PAKT;

· PP5: Municipality of Nikšić Crna Gora (ME) – NIKS;

· PP6: Municipality of Kakanj Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) – KAK;

· PP7: Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) - CC ZDC;

· PP8: Municipality of Ravne na Koroškem Slovenija (SI) – RNK;

· PP9: Municipality of Stara Zagora Bulgaria (BG) – ZAG;

· PP10: Municipality of Stara Pazova Serbia (RS) – PAZ;

· PP11: ÖSB Consulting Ltd Österreich (AT) – ÖSB.

Associated strategic partners:

· ASP1: Dunaújvárosi Kereskedelmi és Iparkamara, Magyarország (HU) - DUN;

· ASP2: AGENTIA JUDETEANA PENTRU OCUPAREA FORTEI DE MUNCA GALATI, România (RO) - GAL;

· ASP3: Zavod za zapošljavanje Crne Gore, Crna Gora (ME) - NIKS;

· ASP4: Federalni zavod za zapošljavanje Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA) - KAK;

· ASP5: RAZVOJNI FOND AUTONOMNE POKRAJINE VOJVODINE DOO NOVI SAD Serbia (RS) – PAZ;

· ASP6: SIJ Metal Ravne d.o.o., Slovenija (SI) - RNK;

· ASP7: Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanju – NSZ, Serbia (RS) – PAZ;

· ASP8: Дирекция „Бюро по труда“-Стара Загора, Bulgaria (BG) – ZAG.

SteelCityZen in numbers:

Total budget: 1.804.772,00 €

Interreg programme funds 1.443.871,30 €

Period of implementation: 01 April 2025 - 31 March 2028

Number of project partners: 11 (9 countries)

* Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is project partner no. 7 in project SteelCityZen (within Interreg DANUBE Region).

This project is supported by the Danube Region Programme, co-funded by the European Union. 

LINK: #SteelCityZen

https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/steelcityzen

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576678845473  

https://www.linkedin.com/company/steelcityzen-project/posts/?feedView=all

Contact: Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton

Nedžad Jusufhodžić, Project Manager

nedzad.jusufhodzic@pkzedo.ba

+387 32 465 855 

Project SteelCityZen presented at the “20 Best in Zenica-Doboj Canton” Event

Through the project “Promotion of the Domestic Economy, Domestic Production and Domestic Products”, Zenica-Doboj Canton continues activities aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of domestic companies, promoting local producers, and connecting businesses with consumers. With the support of the Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton, through the Ministry of Economy of Zenica-Doboj Canton, the project is being implemented by the Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton.

As part of the project’s closing event, the “20 Best in Zenica-Doboj Canton” awards ceremony was held. During the ceremony, the “Bosnian Royal Ducat” awards were presented to the 20 most successful companies from Zenica-Doboj Canton, as well as to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and exporters from the Canton for 2025.

The event also included a panel discussion on the challenges of bringing domestic products to consumers. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Zenica-Doboj Canton, the Faculty of Economics of the University of Zenica, and companies Magnet Studio Maglaj and Empress Zenica took part in the discussion.

The SteelCityZen project was also presented during the event.

“SteelCityZen” is a transnational cooperation project funded by the Danube Region Programme, bringing together 11 partners from 9 countries to address the vulnerability of (mono)industrial cities undergoing economic transformation.

These cities, often dependent on a single resource-intensive industry, face employment risks linked to structural changes, such as the green and digital transitions.

Project objectives:

• Strengthen stakeholder cooperation
• Improve coordination between local governments and employment actors
• Develop innovative tools for local skills assessment and matching
• Support inclusive and sustainable urban development
• Duration: 36 months
• Lead Partner: Dunaújváros Önkormányzata, Hungary
• Project Partner: The Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• More info: SteelCityZen Project

#DanubeRegion #LabourMarketTransition #JustTransition #IndustrialCities #Interreg #InterregDanube #EUProjects #SustainableCities #UrbanTransition #StakeholderEngagement

SteelCityZen Project Presented at “ZEPS 2026” Fair

The Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton presented the SteelCityZen – Diversifying Labour Markets in Industrial Cities of the Danube Region via Enhanced Stakeholder Cooperation and Skills Matchmaking to Support Local Transitions and Promote Long-Term Sustainable Development project at the ZEPS 2026 International General BH Trade Fair, held from 2 to 5 September in Zenica.

SteelCityZen is a transnational cooperation project implemented within the Interreg Danube Region Programme, bringing together 11 partners from 9 countries. The project addresses the common challenge faced by industrial and mono-industrial cities across the Danube Region undergoing economic transformation and experiencing changes in their local labour markets, particularly in the context of the green and digital transitions.

The project aims to contribute to the diversification of local labour markets and sustainable economic development by strengthening cooperation among local stakeholders, improving coordination between local authorities and labour market actors, and developing new approaches to assessing skills needs and matching them with labour market demands.

In this context, the Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton, as Project Partner PP7, plays an important role in connecting the project with businesses, institutions and other relevant stakeholders across Zenica-Doboj Canton. Through its activities, the Chamber works to identify, bring together and engage relevant actors and encourage their active participation in project activities and the exchange of experiences.

This year's ZEPS, with 500 exhibitors and more than 20,000 m² of exhibition space, provided an excellent opportunity to expand the stakeholder network and present the project to the business community, institutions and the wider public.

As part of a dedicated promotional activity held on 5th September 2026, the Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton presented the project's objectives, activities and results achieved so far, as well as the official SteelCityZen project website. Throughout the four days of the Fair, visitors were able to collect project promotional materials and express their interest in participating in future project activities by providing their contact details.

Of particular significance was the interest expressed by representatives of regional and local authorities, chambers of commerce, the business community and other institutions, making ZEPS an additional platform for reaching out to and engaging new stakeholders in SteelCityZen project activities.

The SteelCityZen project is implemented over a period of 36 months, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028. The Lead Partner is the Municipality of Dunaújváros, Hungary, while Bosnia and Herzegovina is represented in the project partnership by the Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton and the Municipality of Kakanj.

The presentation of SteelCityZen at ZEPS forms part of the Chamber of Commerce of Zenica-Doboj Canton's ongoing efforts to build and strengthen the stakeholder network, connect relevant actors and actively engage them in project activities, with the aim of jointly developing responses to the challenges of local labour market transformation and supporting long-term sustainable development.

#SteelCityZen Više informacija na: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/steelcityzen Danube Region Programme Dunaújváros Önkormányzata MS PAKT Općina Kakanj - načelnik SteelcityZen Galați Slezská Ostrava Община Стара Загора Privredna komora ZDK #DanubeRegion #LabourMarketTransition #JustTransition #IndustrialCities #Interreg #InterregDanube #EUProjects #SustainableCities #UrbanTransition #StakeholderEngagement