Barriers caused by lack of information
The lack of information affects both citizens and authorities, particularly in cross-border activities such as employment, starting businesses, or public procurement. The two countries have distinct administrative systems, making it unclear at which institutional level specific competencies are handled and language barriers further complicate cooperation. Often, citizens cannot find information on their specific cross-border case on the internet. And often officials do not have the information they need to solve these specific cross-border cases. Furthermore, Slovensko.sk is not available in Hungarian, and Magyarorszag.hu is not accessible in Slovak. Often, processes form a “vicious circle,” where one condition depends on another, which in turn requires the first to be completed.
The situation is similar on both sides in terms of not being cross-border information available. Based on the pattern of cross-border interactions, the problem is slightly more pronounced in the case of citizens from Slovakia in Hungary.
Apart from the helpdesk cases (where the authorities were helpful), no direct inquiries have yet been made regarding this case. In general, the preparation of the guidelines / information materials will require openness from the authorities at various levels and in various forms:
In all cases, validation of the prepared information materials with the public authorities would be useful. The materials can be shared via our online channels, but more effect can be achieved if these will be used by the public authorities as well. For this seek, expert meetings and negotiations with the relevant stakeholders will be carried out. These meetings (which can be organised separately on the two sides of the border) can also provide an appropriate occasion to open future information-streamlines.
The “Your Europe” portal, mentioned later in this description at the best practices, can be used as a main source to identify the relevant contact points for almost all of the issues identified.
Based on the experience of CESCI’s Legal Accessibility project in 2017, the attitude of the relevant colleagues of the Ministry of Interior of Hungary was supportive.
Yes, initial steps have been taken under the second milestone of the Legal Accessibility project, implemented by CESCI in 2017 which consisted of the development of a proposal package aimed at addressing key information gaps. This included defining the characteristics of an ideal cross-border information platform, recommending improved communication of existing services, identifying life situations requiring targeted content development, and suggesting collaborative efforts with neighbouring countries’ embassies to enhance access to cross-border information. The results of this proposal package (e.g. analysis of the regulatory environment, assessment of the existing information systems, identification of cross-border life situations etc.) could provide a good starting point to the management of this obstacle.
In addition, on some topics, information gathering has already started on cases received via the help desk platform (pl. Acquiring a Hungarian SIM card as a Slovak citizen).
Yes, successful examples include the EU’s “Your Europe” platform, Ireland’s “Border People” project and the Norway-Sweden “Grensetjänsten”, which provide effective information systems for cross-border citizens. These initiatives can serve as a model for developing bilingual resources in the Hungary-Slovakia region.
More examples: https://hu-sk.eu/en/the-project/related-projects/
One of the key deliverables would be the creation and dissemination of bilingual guidelines that will serve as user-friendly resources for citizens and authorities alike. These guidelines aim to cover areas such as employment, real estate, and public services, with specific sections dedicated to Interreg HUSK project partners. This approach will ensure that both sides have a clear, standardised understanding of administrative requirements in the other country.
By selecting this (information gaps) case, the project will be able to address the issues raised by border citizens in the online survey and the proposed guidelines can provide a wide visibility to the #ACCESS project.
The very first step is to prioritise the reported cases* and select the topics of the first guidelines. In each case, there is also the task of checking the availability of the necessary information. Sometimes our role will simply be to edit and publish the information, but in other cases we will also have to carry out time-consuming research to find the appropriate and relevant information.
In addition, the project’s sensation campaign can be linked to training and awareness-raising programmes to equip local authorities with the skills needed to understand and navigate the other country’s administrative systems, promoting better collaboration and reducing misinterpretations.
At the end of the day, the results of this case can be maybe useful for the future coordination point(s) as well (see the proposal of the BRDIGEforEU regulation).
* List of the reported cases that could be elaborated in the guidelines:
Everyday life
Health care
Working
Studying
CBC projects
Barriers due to language differences
The main problem is the persistent language barrier in cross-border regions between Hungary and Slovakia, which makes effective communication harder in everyday life, public services, and collaborative projects. Limited bilingual signage, monolingual customer service, and the lack of bilingual forms and materials complicate administrative procedures and interactions. Slovak citizens in Hungary and Hungarian citizens in Slovakia often face challenges accessing information and services due to the absence of free language courses and professional terminology harmonisation.
The obstacles relevant to the #ACCESS project (factors hindering higher integration of the border region) can be classified into three main groups.
| Field | Main obstacle |
|---|---|
| (public) administration | lack of bilingual forms and materials |
| everyday cooperation and living | lack of opportunity to learn and practice each other’s languages |
| professional communication | lack of technical glossaries |
The obstacles identified in the framework of the #ACCESS project affect both sides of the border to different degrees and in different ways:
In terms of regulation, the regulations on language use can basically serve as a guide for starting research work:
In Hungary, the Fundamental Law of Hungary (2011) guarantees the rights of minorities to maintain and use their language. The Act on the Rights of Nationalities (Act CLXXIX of 2011) ensures the right to use minority languages in official matters and mandates bilingual signage in areas with significant minority populations. However, from the perspective of the project, the rules on administrative procedures play a more significant role than the rules on minority language use. Section 20 of Act CL of 2016 on General Administrative Procedure establishes the rules on the official language of the procedure, and Section 21 establishes the rules on the language use rights of foreigners. According to these sections, the official language of administrative procedures in Hungary is Hungarian.
A distinction should also be made between the different forms of language barriers in relation to the (expected) attitude of the authorities.
It is also important to highlight that the #ACCESS project’s planned activities include sensitising the relevant authorities. Addressing language barriers can already contribute to the preparation of this activity.
However, when it comes to language barriers, it is often not only the attitude of the authorities that needs to be examined, as in some cases the handling of the situation also depends on the attitude of the people.
Not yet within the framework of the #ACCESS project.
Where there is significant demand, they are clearly trying to respond to it. For example, in Feketeerdő, they organise Slovak evenings and try to help the integration of Slovak residents into the village community.
In the previous programme period there was a project, called LINGLAND (SKHU/1601/4.1/156). Its aim was to strengthen bilingualism in the Slovak-Hungarian border region in the fields of tourism, hospitality, and trade. Although the results of the project may not seem permanent, partners can be contacted to get their insights.
Yes, several examples exist, for example:
The identified problems require different solution proposals. In the first steps, we should deal with the following ones:
| Field | Main obstacle | Solution proposals |
| (public) administration | lack of bilingual forms and materials | Introducing bilingual information materials and validated translations of forms in border regions. An important preparatory step would be to examine in which cases an English-language publication has already been produced, as in these cases it is expected that independent information gathering would no longer be necessary, only translation. (synergy with the obstacle: information gaps) |
| Improving government websites to ensure bilingual access to forms and information (synergy with the obstacle: information gaps). | ||
| everyday cooperation and living | lack of opportunity to learn and practice each other’s languages | (SPF) project development to prepare bilingual trainings, events and solutions in the relevant cross-border suburban areas. |
| professional communication | lack of technical glossaries | Creating a harmonised glossary of professional terms (the development of glossaries could begin in parallel with the implementation of the #ACCESS project). |
There is nothing written in Hungarian on the Slovak side of the border crossing.
According to current laws, if at least 15% of the population of the municipalities concerned are Hungarians, they have the right to use their own language for official matters. However, the law does not address language issues at border crossings, which would require a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
The project is financially supported by the European Union,
within the framework of the Interreg Hungary – Slovakia Programme.
For more information visit www.skhu.eu.
The project is financially supported by the European Union,
within the framework of the Interreg Hungary – Slovakia Programme.
For more information visit www.skhu.eu.
