"Infinitely" important EU developments11 December 2008
INTERREG programmes will soon be wound up in Hungary. Since 2004, Hungary has spent over 17 billion HUF within the framework of the EU programme promoting cross-border cooperation and cooperation between the regions of various EU countries on, among others, cross-border business, environmental and nature protection and cultural cooperation, as well as small-scale transport investments in the border region.
The National Development Agency and the Intermediate Body of the programmes, VÁTI Hungarian Non-Profit Company for Regional Development and Town Planning, held an international conference on 10 December to mark the closure of the programme. Summarising experiences is of particular relevance since Hungarian counties and the neighbouring regions will be able to spend EU funding of 170 billion HUF in value on developments with a similar aim up to 2013 within the framework of the so-called European Territorial Cooperation launched as a continuation of the INTERREG Programme.
Hungary successfully implemented its INTERREG programmes for the 2004-2006 period. Applicants managed to efficiently invest EU and national funding equivalent to a total of 68.6 million EUR, i.e., over 17 billion HUF, in developments underpinning cooperation within the framework of the 4 cross-border cooperation programmes, 1 inter-regional programme and 1 trans-national programme in which Hungary participated.
There were a good many examples for outstanding initiatives during the course of the implementation of the INTERREG programmes, namely: more than 117 million HUF was invested in assessing the state of subsurface waters in the Ipoly/Ipel Valley, the Bodrog region and the Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst area and compiling analyses required for the sustainable use of these subsurface water supplies. Over 45 million HUF was allocated for encouraging cooperation between small and medium enterprises in the Hungarian-Slovak border region, whilst 12 million HUF was invested in cooperation between the theatres of Miskolc and Kosice. Tourism was an equally important area: a joint action plan was developed for using the Komarno (Komárom, Révkomárom) Old Castle and New Castle with the help of INTERREG funding, whilst a joint tourism zone was created in the Őrség region within the framework of the Hungary-Slovenia Cooperation Programme by investing EU funding of 44 million HUF in value.
In the context of an enlarging Europe, borders separating regions are no longer important; it is the road that connects regions that has now become the focus of attention, in which spirit INTERREG funding of 115 million HUF in value was allocated for laying asphalt on the road linking the settlement of Karos in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County to the Slovak settlement of Streda nad Bodrogom, whilst 158 million HUF was spent on the construction of the bicycle road leading to the Kiszombor–Cenad border crossing.
Even though the implementation phase of the programmes of the INTERREG Community initiative running during the 2004-2006 period has just finished, the targets set continue to remain relevant. Hungary is able to participate in 7 cross-border, 2 trans-national and 4 inter-regional programmes during the 2007-2013 period. Moreover, applicants from 15 of the 19 counties in Hungary can count on being granted EU funding within the framework of the 7 cross-border cooperation programmes. The first series of calls for applications of the Hungary-Romania and Hungary-Slovakia Cooperation Programme were announced in autumn.
The way in which the National Development Agency has been designated Managing Authority over the upcoming period in the case of 5 of the 7 cross-border cooperation programmes in which Hungary is participating is also an acknowledgement of the results achieved by Hungary during the 2004–2006-period.