National
Development Agency

The objective of the Environment and Energy Operational Programme (EEOP) of the New Széchenyi Plan is to facilitate sustainable development in Hungary by solving environmental, nature conservation and water management tasks and by the more efficient and rational use of natural resources. The European Union provides assistance for the implementation of the development guidelines set forth so that the healthy, clean and safe environment could be ensured and made available for every citizen of our country.

Almost 4%, nearly HUF 37 billion of the total EEOP funding could be spent on the one-off reconstruction of the protected areas and Natura 2000 areas in Hungary, on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the areas, on the renovation of collected botanical gardens and protected historic gardens, furthermore on the environmental education of the coming generations through the development of forest schools.

Support contracts for the modernization of forest schools have been concluded in the value of HUF 2 billion. In the framework of the programme so far 25 forest schools have been modernized, the set of instruments for raising awareness has been developed and similar investments in another 9 forest schools are in progress. With the renewed education tools every year hundreds of children can participate in exciting field nature study classes where they can acquire essential knowledge about the protected animal and plant species, inanimate natural assets, the characteristics of the climate and the importance of selective waste collection.

The historic gardens and collected botanical gardens, also called as the living museums of the relationship between man and nature represent an outstanding national value.  Through the EEOP support the development and conservation of the plant collections recorded with scientific accuracy, the service of the dissemination of information and for historic gardens the renovation of the horticultural engineering works can be carried out. Already in 21 gardens the development is underway in the value of HUF 3 billion and the preparation of another 15 projects is in progress.

There is also a significant amount available for the conservation of the protected and Natura 2000 areas. For the purpose of the conservation of the habitat of protected species and the safeguarding of nature protection areas the reconstruction of more than  ten thousand hectares of habitat is made possible from EEOP funding, but the size of the respective area exceeds seventy-thousand hectares. The length of lined facilities (electric wires, road networks) modified for the purpose of protecting animal species and for nature protection in accordance with the concluded support contracts is 713,565 km, of which on 509,265 km the changes have already been completed. In addition to this the entrances of several famous Hungarian caves became safer, the reconstruction of artificial burrows and geological land units, the reconstruction of protected springs, the conservation of geomorphologic assets and the restoration of hill forts into their natural condition could also be performed.

The developments by the New Széchenyi Plan contribute to the conservation and improvement of Hungary’s environmental condition and natural resources and last but not least to the environmental education. More information about the completed projects, the closed calls for tenders and the EEOP itself is available at www.nfu.hu or at www.nkek.hu.