EGTCs in Hungary

Arrabona EGTC

Arrabona EGTC was set up by two Hungarian cities, Győr and Mosonmagyaróvár, in the Szigetköz and Csallóköz regions, and the Slovakian municipalities of Dunajská Streda and Šamorin. Today, the EGTC has 35 members (seven municipalities from Slovakia and 28 from Hungary).

The grouping is situated in the Budapest-Vienna-Bratislava axis region, which is one of the most dynamically developing metropolitan regions in central Europe. The economic mainstay of the region are the automotive and ancillary industries, including metalworking and metal-processing (Audi, VW and their suppliers.)

Győr and Bratislava serve as regional metropolises, where urban and rural tourism can develop in symbiosis. A cross-border tourist region could be established through effective destination management.

This has been the objective over the past few years, with a particular focus on the development goals of the municipalities concerned, while also considering cooperation with other partners (Cultacross and Builcogreen projects). In addition to cultural and tourist cooperation, the EGTC prioritises equal sharing of management tasks between its municipalities, so as to provide a unique, exemplary practice in the border region.

The EGTC performs outstandingly well, and is the first example in Hungary of a regional community-led local development (CLLD) project that will also strengthen the region's institutional fabric.

Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC

Mayors of three countries set up the Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC in 2009. The aim was to promote economic, social and regional cohesion in the Hungarian-Romanian-Serbian border triangle by reducing developmental differences and thus furthering harmonious growth. Members from the border triangle area include 40 Hungarian local authorities, 37 Romanian local authorities, and eight Serbian municipalities as observers. The EGTC is engaged in ongoing bilateral communication between the relevant ministries with a view to the Serbian municipalities becoming full members.

The activities of the BTC EGTC – helping SMEs and boosting employment in the Serbian-Hungarian-Romanian border region – provide significant support for its members and stakeholders. One of the main development concepts was a water management programme for the Hungarian-Romanian-Serbian border triangle, in addition to unitary management and utilisation of renewable energy resources. Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC plans to address the issue of unequal employment relations through an integrated employment/cultural programme.

Because it is small and medium-sized businesses that are creating jobs, the strategic plan of the Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC emphasises the development of such enterprises, and supports their cooperation and operation on a level playing-field.

Gate to Europe EGTC

Gate to Europe EGTC was established in 2012. It has 35 members: 20 municipalities from Hungary and 15 from Romania.

The EGTC's main field of work is supporting project applications and the aspirations of its member municipalities' civil society organisations, local authorities and small businesses.

Because the main source of income in the area is agriculture and animal husbandry, Gate to Europe EGTC regards cross-border popularisation of local produce as its most important work. It also supports farmers, the development of a local irrigation strategy, and preparations for the effects of climate change.

Gate to Europe EGTC wants to be actively engaged in the Hungarian-Romanian border region in the framework of Interreg 2021-2027. Projects relating to climate change, the community, cooperation, employment and local development are its priorities.

Gate to Europe EGTC places importance on community activities that involve the younger generation in cross-border, educational and vocational programmes, and therefore takes a particular interest in the Erasmus+ programme. Alongside its broader objectives, the EGTC is developing a climate strategy focusing on sustainability of the cross-border ecosystem.

European Border Cities ETT

European Border Cities EGTC was founded in September 2014. The grouping has two founding members: the local authority of Nyíregyháza County (Hungary) and the municipal council of Satu Mare (Romania). The president of the European Border Cities EGTC is Dr Ferenc Kovács, mayor of Nyíregyháza; the co-president is Gábor Kereskényi, mayor of Satu Mare; and its director is István Pató, who is head of the Urban Planning and City Management department in the mayor's office in Nyíregyháza.

The grouping is an independently managed, non-profit organisation whose remit is to strengthen economic and social cohesion between its members through cross-border cooperation. The goal of the grouping is to generate joint regional development, tourism development programmes and tourism plans, and to implement and develop cross-border projects. The activity of the EGTC has grown over the past year, when it organised several events relating to its approved projects.

The European Border Cities EGTC has launched various vocational programmes over the past year. Following the launch of the Hungary-Romania cross-border development programmes for 2014-2020, the quadripartite (HU-SK-RO-UA) cross-border cooperation programmes provided opportunities to implement the plans of the grouping.

European Common Future Building EGTC

European Common Future Building EGTC was legally established on 17 October 2012 with four members: three Hungarian municipalities and one Romanian municipality. The EGTC currently has eight members (five Hungarian and three Romanian municipalities) along the southern Hungarian-Romanian border. The territory of the EGTC includes the Orosháza and Mezőkovácsháza micro-regions in Hungary and the 20-km-wide micro-region around the city of Kürtös in Romania, where two member municipalities are situated.

Since 2012, the aim of the grouping has been to promote cross-border cooperation among its members and thus facilitate economic, social and regional cohesion. This is achieved by organising and managing joint events, meetings and projects. The grouping has applied for grants within the framework of the Interreg V-A Romania-Hungary programme. Members and their institutions have also applied for grants individually and with the help of the grouping; many applications have been successful. The aim of the grouping is to set up and successfully implement joint projects. Since its foundation, the EGTC has participated in various projects set up by the European Union.

One future goal of the EGTC is the establishment of a joint tourism management system, to showcase the whole region for tourists. This could be implemented through designing a website and developing a common marketing strategy.

Among its other objectives the EGTC underlines infrastructure investment, training, and producer cooperation, while it also plans to focus more on visibility and capacity-building. 

Ipoly-valley EGTC

Ipoly Valley EGTC consists of 15 Hungarian and 13 Slovakian municipalities situated only a couple of kilometres away from each other across the Ipoly river.

The late mayor of Rimóc, Andor Beszkid, initiated the EGTC at the time of the two countries' accession to the Schengen Area. The first meeting took place on 4 July 2013 in Szécsény, when an action plan was introduced on which the future Strategic Development Plan is based. After many meetings, the Ipoly Valley EGTC was officially established on 24 January 2017.

The main objectives of the EGTC include: establishment and renovation of cross-border public road infrastructure; development of cross-border ecotourism; building of bike paths; protection of the common heritage; renovation of memorial sites; support and development of local marketplaces; initiating and implementing cross-border employment projects; support for joint undertakings between small businesses; joint utilisation of energy resources; cooperation in the prevention of natural disasters; cross-border renovation of water and sewage systems; reciprocal teaching of Slovak and Hungarian in primary and secondary schools and cooperation in the fields of public safety and healthcare.

These undertakings will define the EGTC's work over the next few years, supported by local residents, NGOs and businesses.

The EGTC has submitted a tender for the Small Project Fund and will present a project proposal under the last call of the Interreg SKHU Cooperation Programme. It has increased its activity over the past few years, so that further financial support is justified.

Ister-Granum EGTC

Ister-Granum EGTC was set up on 6 May 2008 in Esztergom. Luc van Den Brande, president of the European Committee of the Regions, was present at the opening. The establishment process was legally completed on 13 November 2008. The grouping currently has 82 members (42 Hungarian and 40 Slovakian municipalities), and its territory covers the 40-45 km-wide area around Esztergom and Párkány. Hungarian members include municipalities from the Esztergom, Dorog and Szob micro-regions, while the Slovakian members are situated in the Lower-Garam micro-region.

Ister-Granum EGTC was the very first EGTC formed in Hungary and has grown steadily. Since 2012, the main project of the grouping has been the development of a local produce network. Today, more than ten partners (municipalities, businesses, and NGOs) are involved in implementing its action plan to help grow this network.

The Ister-Granum Euroregion was established with the rebuilding of the Mária Valéria Bridge in 2001. Over the past decade, the Euroregion has been working on improving accessibility of the Esztergom and Párkány regions. Connecting the townships of Dunaradvány and Neszmély with a ferry service was intended to further boost this project. Through its role of managing these activities, Ister-Granum EGTC has been the first grouping to make a major investment as a legal entity of the European Union, while addressing obstacles and initiating the necessary legislative changes.

The grouping also plans to establish a logistics zone; the first phase of this project, the freight ferry service between Párkány and Esztergom, is already in service.

In addition, the grouping is involved in tourist activities such as the development of bike paths in the region. About a million tourists visit Esztergom and Párkány during the summer each year, and the grouping intended from the outset to showcase the whole region, and not just its main cities, for visitors. 

Mura Region EGTC

Mura Region EGTC was set up on 28 May 2015, and its membership has grown since. Currently, the grouping includes all municipalities on both banks of the Mura river along the Hungarian-Croatian border.

The grouping was formed after Croatia's accession to the EU. One major aim was to increase cooperation between members of the Hungarian-Croatian twin-city network of the multi-ethnic border region. The EGTC does excellent work in the region and despite its young age has numerous approved projects.

The grouping aims to develop the economic partnerships based on educational, cultural and NGO relations that have been built up over the past decades.

The objective of Mura Region EGTC is to reduce disparities within the border region, building on those relations, and to help strengthen economic, social and regional cohesion, with a particular focus on infrastructure projects. To address cross-border employment issues and emigration of the young workforce, the EGTC has been actively involved in planning of the bridge between Murakeresztúr and Kotoriba (Mura Bridge) and has submitted an application under the Interreg HUHR Cooperation Programme.

Additional aims of Mura Region EGTC are: improving business cooperation; supporting cross-border trade and business network solutions; improving legal accessibility; promoting local goods across the border; supporting local farmers; promoting the Mura 'brand'; and joint water tourism projects on the Mura River (Two Rivers, One Goal project), as well as conservation of the border river's diversity (Natura 2000 site). 

MURABA EGTC

Muraba EGTC promotes cooperation and development of the areas inhabited by mixed ethnic groups in Slovenia (Pomurje) and Hungary (Porabje), by connecting stakeholders, deploying funding, generating, and implementing cooperation programmes.

Muraba EGTC was set up in 2017 by the municipality of Szentgotthárd (Hungary), the municipality of Lendava (Slovenia), the Mura Region Hungarian Self-Governing Community (in Slovenia), and the Slovene Self-Governing Community (in Hungary) for the purpose of promoting economic and social cross-border cooperation and strengthening territorial cohesion through regular cooperation, so as to improve prosperity and quality of life in the territory of the grouping. As a 'young' EGTC, Muraba plays a significant role in the border region inhabited by Serbian and Hungarian minorities.

Another reason for setting up the EGTC was to facilitate enforcement of the statutory rights of Hungarian and Slovene ethnic minorities and to preserve the national identity of its members and their relations with the mother nation.

Recent institutional changes, including a successful project to provide support for the elderly, have helped to promote the EGTC's effectiveness in the Interreg SI-HU Cooperation Programme. 

Pannon EGTC

SSince it was set up in 2010, the main aim of Pannon EGTC has been to develop cross-border cooperation along the Croatian-Slovenian-Hungarian border and support economic cooperation in the region. After Croatia joined the EU, Croatian municipalities connected with their counterparts in Slovenia and Hungary, which were already EU members. Pannon EGTC provides a tool for facilitating and strengthening collaboration between its members, as well as promoting economic and social cohesion in the region. The EGTC plans to generate and coordinate the implementation of cross-border projects.

Pannon EGTC currently has 65 members: 62 municipalities, 3 regional organisations, the University of Pécs, the University of Kaposvár, and Duna-Dráva National Park. It operates across Baranya, Somogy, Tolna and Zala counties in Hungary; Verőce-Drávamente, Eszék-Baranya, Muraköz and Kapronca-Kőrös counties in Croatia; and in Muravidék in Slovenia.

Organisational changes have given the EGTC a broad vision for its future activity. Pannon EGTC is currently working on the following projects:

• SHARE – part of Interreg Europe – concerns sustainable cultural heritage protection programmes and the search for good practices. The grouping has gained the status of project partner in the Interreg Europe programme, opened new offices on both the Hungarian and Croatian side, and mobilised Croatian and Slovenian partners.
• The CrossMarkets project – a B-solutions initiative – supports local farmers in getting their produce to regional markets more effectively.
• With financial support under the Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia 2014-2020 programme, Pannon EGTC is involved in preparing, assessing and supporting the 2021-2027 Hungarian-Croatian cross-border cooperation programme and in preparations for the next long-term EU budget.
• Through the Interreg Europe INTER VENTURES project, Pannon EGTC supports the internationalisation of local businesses by promoting cross-border economic ecosystems, in collaboration with eight European partners. 

Pontibus EGTC

Pontibus EGTC was set up by Nitra and Pest counties on 11 August 2015. The purpose of the grouping – whose name means 'bridges' – is to build stronger economic and cultural connections between people living on both sides of the border.

The objectives of Pontibus EGTC include strengthening transport connections between the two member counties, as well as supporting the development of tourism with a particular focus on the region along the Ipoly River. Other areas of cooperation include the economy, research and innovation, energy, renewable energy resources, tourism, culture, the environment, sport, human resources, agriculture, and the food industry, as well as health and social services.

The grouping closely monitors the Interreg V-A Slovakia-Hungary Cooperation Programme, as well as other EU and local financial opportunities. Pontibus EGTC currently coordinates the RE-START project along the lower Ipoly River to enhance employment and development.

In 2019, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the grouping installed floating kayak docks on the lower Ipoly River and the Danube in order to boost tourism and increase the region's attractiveness. At the same time, the EGTC had the opportunity to run a pilot project through which it identified the difference between the two countries' authorisation procedures and standards.

The grouping continues its development work in the field of water tourism, with a strong focus on providing quality employment through its approved TAPES project. 

Rába-Duna-Vág  EGTC

Rába-Duna-Vág EGTC was formed in 2011, with its headquarters in Tatabánya, Hungary. The founding members in Hungary and Slovakia were Győr-Moson-Sopron County, Komárom-Esztergom County, and Trnava District. In 2015, Pest County and Pozsony County joined, followed by Nitra County in 2019. The six members of the EGTC form a coherent area along the Danube by the Hungarian-Slovakian border.

The EGTC's activities, achievements, number of approved and implemented projects, and long-term vision make it a significant player in the region. Its approved projects mainly focus on sustainability and promoting active ageing.

The general objectives of the grouping are to promote cross-border cooperation between its members, so as to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion.

The primary activity of the grouping consists in carrying out and implementing cooperation programmes (e.g. silver economy, herbal economy, and circular economy projects) in the administrative territory of the founding and later members. With the help of ten partners, the grouping is currently working on an action plan for research and development in the food industry.

The main activity of the grouping falls under the Interreg V-A Slovakia-Hungary Small Project Fund, which provides support for smaller local projects up to 2022.

Rába-Duna-Vág EGTC also provides services – project application support, project management, project coordination, analyses and studies, organising presentations and workshops, PR activities – for cross-border cooperation activities of municipalities, businesses and organisations. 

Tisza EGTC

Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Transcarpathia County and Kisvárda set up Tisza EGTC in 2015. It was the first grouping in Europe that had been formed by the border areas of an EU Member State (Hungary) and a non-EU country (Ukraine).

The seat of the EGTC is in Kisvárda, Hungary, where its director is based, and its partner office is in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, where the deputy director takes care of office management. The grouping is an economically autonomous, non-profit organisation with legal personality. The general objective of Tisza EGTC is to foster cross-border cooperation between its members in order to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion. The task of the grouping is to generate and implement projects and programmes launched in the cross-border cooperation area to achieve the above objectives. In 2017, the cohesion study and integrated development strategy of the EGTC were published, setting out its main priorities.

Based on the goals contained in the strategy, several small-scale tenders have been implemented in recent years, and in 2017, after two years of successful operation, the grouping submitted two proposals under the HUSKROUA ENI Cross-border Cooperation Programme, both of which were suggested by the Monitoring Committee. The main focus of the grouping is environmental protection. 

Sajó-Rima EGTC

Sajó-Rima EGTC is located in the catchment area of the Sajó and Rima rivers, and brings together the municipalities of the region. The official registration date of the grouping was 3 April 2013. The members of the grouping are Putnok and Ózd on the Hungarian side and Rimavská Sobota and Tornal'a on the Slovakian side. The territory of the EGTC's four members contains 193 settlements, 66 on the Hungarian side and 127 on the Slovakian side.

The general objective of the grouping is to strengthen economic and social cohesion between its members through cross-border cooperation financed by both countries. The specific goals of the grouping are to prepare and implement joint programmes for economic development, agriculture, industry, trade, services, and tourism.