National
Development Agency

The National Development Agency and the Swiss Contribution Programme Office of the Swiss Embassy held an information day presenting the implementation of the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme in collaboration with the Swiss-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce. The framework agreement signed by Switzerland and Hungary on 20 December 2007 preceded the event, pursuant to which the implementation of the financial fund called the Swiss Contribution can be launched in 2008.

Switzerland will provide development funding of a total of 1 billion Swiss Franks for the 10 countries that acceded to the EU in 2004. Hungary’s share of this framework is the second largest after Poland and equivalent to a gross 130 730 000 Swiss Franks, i.e. a total of 21.7 billion HUF. The cooperation programme on the one hand aims to reduce inequalities experienced between the member states of the European Union, whilst on the other hand targets the reduction of disparities experienced within the concerned countries.

400 people attended the event to which many people came along. Regional, micro-regional organisations, government bodies, civil organisations, international organisations, chambers, as well as representatives of the business sector attended the information session.

At the information day, the Swiss and the Hungarian party equally emphasised that the principle of content-based and geographic concentration must be followed when using the funding. Accordingly, 70% of the funding made available must be committed in the following priority areas defined within the scope of the framework agreement:

1. Regional development initiatives in peripheral and disadvantaged regions (15 million CHF);

2. Preventing and dealing with natural disasters (2 million CHF);

3. Repair/restoration and modernisation of basic infrastructure and environmental development (30 million CHF);

4. Cross-border environmental initiatives, biodiversity and nature protection (5 million CHF);

5. Development of the business environment and facilitating access to financing for small and medium enterprises (14,5 million CHF);

6. Development of the private sector and promoting the export of small and medium enterprises (3 million CHF);

7. Research and development (8.5 million CHF);

8. Healthcare (13 million CHF)

9. Supporting the non-profit sector (6 million CHF).

Moreover, a minimum 40% of the funding must be used in the most disadvantaged regions of North Hungary and the North Great Plain, with special regard to Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hajdú-Bihar County and Szabolcs-Szatmár County.

Hungary is responsible for project selection; however, Swiss approval is needed in the case of each project recommended for approval. The representative of NDA said that the calls for applications of the priority areas will be announced at different intervals. The first series of calls will be announced in summer 2008 in the following themes: scholarship programmes, infrastructure and environmental protection, as well as the prevention of natural disasters.

NDA will adopt a two-round decision procedure for the selection of projects. Project concepts will be assessed during the first round, which means that only approved project concepts need to be elaborated in full detail in the second round, which equally speeds up the decision-making process and ensures cost-efficiency.

Information was also presented on how the budget of every single individual project must be at least 1 million CHF (approx. 166 million HUF) in order to be able to validate the principles of effectiveness and transparency. This value limit is 4 million CHF (approx. 664 million HUF) in the case of programmes consisting of several smaller projects

The most relevant message of the event for applicants was that each individual project must benefit the public, regardless of its theme or size.

The detailed set of documents of the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme Strategic Regulatory Framework, questions raised by participants in connection with implementation at the information day, as well as responses provided to these can be accessed on the website of the National Development Agency by logging on http://www.swiss-contribution.hu.