Hongaarse regionale programma's goedgekeurd (en)
Danuta Hübner, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will today meet Hungarian Prime Minister Mr Ferenc Gyurcszkny to discuss Cohesion Policy for 2007-2013. During her two-day visit, she will travel to Northern Hungary and the North Great Plain regions, where she will meet representatives of the country's seven growth poles. Ahead of her visit, she said: 'I welcome Hungary's decision to develop regional growth poles with EU investment to help catalyse growth in disadvantaged regions. It is important to make sure that projects in these poles prioritise Research and Development and innovation, the main driving forces of economic development.' The Commissioner will also attend the launch of the transnational South-East Europe programme, which will offer opportunities for the Western Balkans to work closely with the European Union.
Hungary's priorities
Hungary will receive EU investment worth almost 25 billion euros for 2007-2013. For the first time, the seven Hungarian regions will each have their own regional programmes. These will help to improve the competitiveness of the economy, while mitigating economic concentration in Budapest. Innovation clusters and science parks are among the initiatives envisaged.
The Commissioner will address a conference in Lillafared which will bring together stakeholders of the seven regional growth poles: industry, research institutes, universities, development agencies. Representatives of Finland, Ireland and France will present their national experience, as they also opted for this model of development.
Project visits
• Integration of Roma: EU investment is helping to improve the integration of the disadvantaged Roma community into Hungarian society. In SzendrÅ`, the Commissioner will visit a nursery school in a depressed region with a high proportion of Roma. The school has been extended and refurbished thanks to EU funding.
• Innovative materials: In Miskolc (Northern Hungary), the Commissioner will see a good example of an innovative project supported by the EU, at the Admatis company , which specialises in space-related research. This firm, which cooperates with NASA, has developed a foam generator that can produce metal foam in any shape with cost-efficient technology. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) contributed â,¬84 000 to the building of their new laboratory at the University of Miskolc.
Launch of South-East Europe programme in Budapest
The Commissioner will launch the South-East Europe programme, together with Mr Gordon Bajnai, Minister for Local Government and Regional Development, and representatives from 16 different countries. The new programme will support cooperation projects in fields such as environment, information society and entrepreneurship among eight EU Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia), six countries from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia), Ukraine and Moldova. The South-East Europe programme has the highest number of non-EU participant countries in the current generation of trans-national programmes. It will improve cooperation around the Danube river (environment, risk prevention, accessibility). Total EU investment is â,¬206.7 million, supplemented by national public funds amounting to â,¬245.1 million. Hungary is the Managing Authority responsible for implementing the programme. (see MEMO/08/177).
Opening of information point on structural funds
In TiszavasvA¡ri (North Great Plain), the Commissioner will open Hungary's first Cohesion Policy information point for the general public.
An EU regulation now requires publication of beneficiaries of EU structural and cohesion funds for 2007-2013, along with the amounts they receive, in the interests of transparency. Hungary anticipated this requirement, publishing its list for 2004-2006 on the web. However, much remains to be done to raise awareness of EU investment in Hungary. A Eurobarometer survey recently carried out among the European citizens to gauge their views on Cohesion Policy (see IP/08/399), showed that 54% of Hungarian respondents were not aware of EU regional policy support for their region or city.
More information on regional policy in Hungary is available at: