As part of the Hungarian presidency of the European Council, in Budapest on the 13th-15th In November 2024, another edition of the “Art of cooperation” event took place. The conference with participants from 26 countries evaluated the results, benefits and rationale of the so-called cross-border cooperation programs INTERREG. As part of the conference program and at the same time as an activity of the #ACCESS project, lead partner CESCI Budapest organized two workshops, the first on experiences in solving cross-border obstacles in Europe and the second on the new EU tool for solving these legal and administrative obstacles at the borders of EU states, the so-called ECBM.

On 16 October 2024, a meeting of the ACCESS project reference group, which aims to remove cross-border barriers between Slovakia and Hungary, took place in Rajka. The meeting was attended by representatives of municipalities, higher territorial units and ministries, including a representative of the Ministry of Territorial Development of Hungary, Mr. David Bán. A significant role was played by the successful BAUM_cityregion project, which was presented to the participants by Mrs. Pavla Štefkovičová and Mr. Christian Berger as a successful model of cross-border cooperation between Slovakia and Austria in the field of spatial planning and coordination. BAUM offered support in creating a similar model for Slovak-Hungarian cooperation and assistance in its coordination.

Mr. Mátyas Jaschitz from CESCI Budapest presented the Bratislava-Győr area and the importance of monitoring the migration of Slovaks to Rajka. The Mayor of Rajka, Mr. Vince Kiss, highlighted the problems with services and infrastructure caused by increasing migration. Mrs. Pavla Štefkovičová presented the BAUM_cityregion project as a possible model for cross-border cooperation. The discussion also focused on the need to improve transport links and infrastructure, including a cycle bridge across the Danube. The participants agreed on the establishment of a two-tier SK-HU cooperation model and a joint coordination centre, with CESCI and CESCI-Carpathia assisting in the further development of cooperation as a mediator.

The INEUREG 2024 conference was held on October 4, 2024 in Bratislava. The conference was organised by the Faculty of Management of Comenius University in Bratislava in cooperation with Corvinus University Budapest within the INTERREG Slovakia-Hungary program. There was a lot of interest in the conference. Mr. Rudolf Bauer, director of CESCI-Carpathia also spoke at the conference. where he reported about the outputs of the #ACCESS project so far.

 

 

The Memorandum of Cooperation between the Faculty of Management of Comenius University in Bratislava and CESCI Carpathia was signed on 12 March 2024 by the Dean of the Faculty of Management of Comenius University in Bratislava, prof. Mgr. Peter Štarchoň, PhD. and RNDr. Rudolf Bauer, PhD. The cooperation will mainly concern the scientific and research part of the #ACCESS project in the area of socio-economic analyses of border regions on the Slovak-Hungarian border.

We have finished the first round of reference group meetings. 

In the #ACCESS project framework, reference groups organized along the Hungarian-Slovak border aim to explore the unique dynamics of cities whose functional urban spaces extend beyond the national border. These areas are hotspots for cross-border mobility and interaction and are key to the project’s objectives. 

In the first round, we organized meetings in cities: Györ, Esztergom, Putnok, Balassagyarmat, Sátoraljaújhely (Hungary), Komárno, Lučenec, Košice, Bratislava (Slovakia).

The Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) ‘s annual conference was held for the first time in Slovakia in Košice in early November 2023. The four-day program of the event included the seventh continuation of the School of Transboundary Studies, the AEBR General Assembly, the Annual Conference, and a study trip to Uzhhorod. The first day was held in the historical hall of the Rector’s Office of UPJŠ in cooperation with the Faculty of Law of UPJŠ. The annual conference, attended by around 120 international guests, this year focused on labor market issues, legal obstacles, and Ukraine’s integration into the EU. The AEBR conference was supported by the Košice Self-Governing Region, which was confirmed in his speech by Vice-Chairman Karol Pataky. The last day of the Conference, which was dedicated to Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and the study trip to Uzhhorod, was supported by the Visegrad Fund. Both financially and with the participation of its director, Peter Mares. This part of the event was co-organized by CESCI Budapest, headed by Professor Zsuzsana Fejes and Secretary General Gyula Ocskay.

On 17 and 18 October 2023, the Conference for the Central and Eastern Europe INTERREG programs was held in Budapest. The conference was organized by the non-profit organization “Sechényi Programme Office”. The Director of CESCI-Carpathia Mr. Rudolf Bauer together with the Secretary General and representative of the lead partner of the CESCI Budapest project Mr. Gyula Ocsaky presented our #ACCESS project at the conference.

On 14 September 2023 at 10:00 a.m., the Kick-off conference of the #ACCESS project took place at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Košice. The aim of the #ACCESS project is to facilitate cross-border flows between Slovakia and Hungary, to facilitate daily commuting and access to cross-border services. The project will run from 2023 to 2029 and will take important steps to remove legal and administrative barriers. More information can be found on the following website: CESCI.

On May 22, 2023, the Cooperation Agreement was signed with the Faculty of Law of the University of Pavel Jozef Šafárik in Košice, represented by the Dean of the Faculty JUDr. Miroslav Štrkolec within the project “Promotion of legal accessibility across the Slovak-Hungarian border”, financed by the Slovak-Hungarian cooperation program INTERREG. Pictured from left: Nicolette Olleová, Rudolf Bauer, Miroslav Štrkolec, Alena Krunková.

On 14 April 2023, we signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the European Association for Territorial Cooperation Via Carpathia Košice with the aim of supporting the development and improvement of the quality and all aspects of the life of people living in the border regions. Via Carpatia will participate in the project “Promotion of legal accessibility across the Slovak-Hungarian border – #Access”. In the picture on the right the director of the EGTC Via Carpatia Ing. Julianna Máté, PhD. and the director of the association RNDr. Rudolf Bauer, PhD.

On 23 February, together with CESCI Budapest, we submitted an application for the non-competitive targeted call CFP-HUSK-2301 in the INTERREG SKHU program. The aim of the project will be the elimination/reduction of legal and administrative barriers at the Slovak-Hungarian border. In the first phase, we will collect information mainly from people living in the border area about the current obstacles that make their daily life difficult. In the second part, we will work together with legal experts to find solutions to remove these obstacles. This project is a project of strategic importance within the INTERREG VI-A Hungary-Slovakia program in the programming period 2021-2027.

The signing of the Memorandum between the Law Faculty of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and CESCI-Carpathia. The director of the association Mr. Rudolf Bauer (on the left) signed a memorandum about cooperation in the upcoming project #Access with the dean of the Faculty Mr. Miroslav Štrkolec (in the center). The responsible person from the faculty side will be Mrs. Alena Krunková (on the right), Head of the Department of Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. The main issue of the project is to eliminate or mitigate the legal and administrative obstacles on the Slovak-Hungarian border. The project is a strategic project in the priority axis 3 of the Slovak-Hungarian program of cooperation INTERREG 2021-2027. The lead partner of the project is CESCI Budapest.

The last event of the project NatGate in Košice: the new summer wagons were put into service, on 29 October 2022, with the presence of the newly elected mayor of the city of Košice Mr. Jaroslav Polaček (4th from the right), and newly elected governor Mr. Rastislav Trnka (behind the mayor)
RegioForum Gemer, 2022, panel discussion “Innovation and education as a key to the lagged regions development” was a key event in the Gemer region in the year. Rudolf Bauer was also invited to the discussion as one who has been working on the region’s development for a long time.
The Wordbook – Social Entrepreneurship for Local Governments was elaborated on by the association in April 2022. the Slovak version, the Hungarian version
The Educational course on ecology in secondary schools, March 2022. Topics: ecology, waste management, and separation, circular economy, and sustainable development. Lecturers: Mariana Bauerová, Rudolf Bauer, Jozef Bľanda
On 31st of January 2018, a working meeting was held in Miskolc, where the consecutive Kick-off meeting for the project Railgate was discussed. The meeting was attended by the project partners Detská železniča Košice, R. Bauer, and the representatives of ÉSZAKERDŐ in Miskolc.
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On the 1st of February 2018, R. Bauer attended a workshop called “Boosting Regions and Cohesion in the EU Border Regions”. The workshop was organized by the European Commission, DG Regio in cooperation with the Region of Bratislava. Participants from several countries have learned about the current situation in cross-border cooperation. DG Regio has called for new Proposals to overcome existing problems in cross-border cooperation mostly administrative and legal nature with an application deadline: of April 30, 2018. Further information: https://www.b-solutionsproject.com/