The technical workshop series of events of the National Development Agency has arrived to Szeged18 June 2012
The National Development Agency (NDA) would like to provide practical assistance for its beneficiaries to ascertain the successful utilisation of the HUF 8200 billion assistance budget that is available for Hungary until the end of 2015. The second event of the series organised in the seven convergence regions was held in Szeged, where the developers of stuck projects of the Southern Great Plain region received broad information on the possibilities of receiving assistance for their developments.
Since the establishment of the NDA, 27 000 projects have been completed countrywide, from which almost 6 500 served the development and the improvement of the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Southern Great Plain region. To speed up the utilisation of the funds available for the period 2007–2013, the NDA proposed several modifications to the regulatory framework and modified its own activities in accordance with them. Nevertheless, the key to success depends on the developers. Precisely for that reason, the NDA initiated a technical workshop series of events addressing the most frequently occurring problems and their potential solutions in utilising the assistance available, not only in the case of governmental institutions, local governments and non-profit organisations, but also in the case of the economic sector. The events, which aim to support the target audience, started in Miskolc and, after Szeged, they will continue to Kaposvár, Székesfehérvár, Győr and Debrecen, and the closing event will be held in Budapest at the end of June.
“We are here to make sure that the HUF 8 200 billion assistance budget of the EU reaches the developments involved and is used for the implementation of successful projects. The arrival of the beneficiaries’ invoices is essential to achieve this, and this is only possible if we can provide assistance and good advice to the applicants concerning the problems surfacing during the application process.” – said Zoltán Petykó, president of the NDA.
The most common problem in utilising the resources is the erroneous payment claims and their late arrival. During the technical workshops, problems like these were addressed by experts such as Gyula E. Barta, Director General of MAG Zrt., and Dániel Bene, Managing Director of ESZA Non-profit Ltd.
So far, the Southern Great Plain region has received HUF 800 billion in assistance. Through the NDA, the EU funds assisted the implementation of developments such as the Soleil Community Centre within the Burger-House in Szeged, the establishment of the new production plant of the MAGNA Syndicate in Hungary and the reconstruction of the habitats of the special thematic collections in the botanic garden of the University of Szeged. The supported projects all increased the competitiveness of the region and helped the recovery out of the economic crisis.
“The Government spent close to HUF 2 billion in the region during the last 1.5 years within the framework of the Healing Hungary-Health Industry Programme. The development policy provided HUF 3.3 billion for the development of the transportation system and HUF 2.5 billion for social and educational programmes. The enterprises of the region benefited most from: receiving HUF 13 billion in assistance within the framework of the New Széchenyi Plan”, said Anna Magyar, President of the Assembly of Csongrád County. “There are a number of constructions still open in the region within the framework of the New Széchenyi Plan: in the area of developing the touristic and economic infrastructure with the total value of approximately HUF 11 billion, amongst others. Besides these, new constructions are expected to open, such as the development of business-purpose accommodations, the development of clusters or the development of services provided by the health tourism industry”, she added.