Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives (CESCI), in collaboration with its project partner, CESCI Carpathia, organised a reference group workshop in Esztergom on the 2nd February 2024. This event forms a part of the broader ACCESS Project, running from 2023 to 2029, with a focus on fostering cross-border cooperation and addressing barriers to integration and mobility along the Hungarian-Slovak border.
The workshop started with opening speeches by Esztergom’s Vice-Mayor Balázs Steindl, who highlighted ongoing cooperation with CESCI on legal barrier removal, and Deputy State Secretary Péter Kiss-Parciu, who emphasised the project’s alignment with broader European cohesion policy objectives and the results of the successful Hungarian-Slovak cross-border cooperation.
The workshop revealed a complex landscape of cross-border dynamics, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for integration and cooperation between the Hungarian town of Esztergom and its Slovak counterpart, Štúrovo, as well as other nearby municipalities. Notably, the discussions underscored the theoretical nature of geographical demarcations, with towns like Dorog and Tokod not necessarily perceiving themselves as border communities.
The workshop participants pointed out various barriers to deeper integration, including administrative and legal discrepancies, shortages of transport and logistical infrastructure. Despite these challenges, areas of potential collaboration, such as tourism, healthcare, and emergency services, were identified, pointing at the importance of governmental support and inter-municipal cooperation.
Infrastructure developments, particularly the construction of a expressway connecting Esztergom with the M1 motorway and a combined cargo bridge between Štúrovo and Esztergom, were identified as pivotal interventions for enhancing cross-border connectivity. Additionally, the Mária Valéria Bike bicycle-sharing system exemplifies successful cross-border cooperation motivating its expansion to the neighbouring municipalities. The existing cooperation in the field of health services, local products, tourism and cultural events are seen to be developed further. The participants suggested the development of a Hungarian-Slovak dictionary on public administration.
The Esztergom workshop set a constructive tone for the ACCESS project’s endeavours, laying the groundwork for targeted strategies to overcome cross-border obstacles and foster functional integration between Hungary and Slovakia. Due to the high number of potential fields and topics of integration, there will be a need to involve a larger group of the relevant authorities in the second phase of the project.
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.
Putnok was the next stop of the series of Reference Group workshops within the...