Substantial progress in the 2021-2027 Croatian-Hungarian joint development strategy

The Pannon EGTC has been participating in the creation of the 2021-2027 Croatian-Hungarian joint development strategy for over a year and a half, as the lead beneficiary of a winning Interreg programme. The analysis of the current situation and the examination of experiences from the previous two Hungarian-Croatian Interreg programming periods were completed previously, the latter period revolved around the 5 thematic areas that are prioritised in the Programme. 

Within the framework of strategic planning, the thematic areas suggested by experts were accepted by both the Hungarian and the Croatian ministries. This is serious progress, and a final decision is expected at programming committee level this month. The thematic areas are especially important because programming can only continue on their account and the future calls for tender can only be published in those topics.

Within the framework of the winning priority project, based on which the Pannon EGTC is taking part in planning the strategy, the EGTC also agreed to develop 5 priority project ideas so that their elaboration can start at the beginning of the programming period. The complex project ideas include a tender targeting the establishment of a joint Geopark, as well as a draft helping the SMEs, but one of the most promising drafts is related to the Amazon of Europe (AoE) Bike Trail.

The Amazon of Europe (AoE) Bike Trail is a transnational, long-distance cycle path involving five countries (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia), which is more than a simple infrastructure investment, as the cycle path provides a unique cycling vacation opportunity for families, both the elderly and the youth. The cycle path providing complex services moves along the Mura, Drava and Danube, and is divided into two sections: the 550-kilometres-long northern route and the 700-kilometres-long southern route. Tourist attractions and recreational opportunities and the exquisitely beautiful riverside landscapes and areas are easily accessible from both routes. For those wishing to explore, both routes are divided into more sections so that the attractions that are important from a tourism aspect are easier to discover and explore. The Northern Route is divided into 11 sections, the Southern Route is divided into 16 sections. The starting point is in the town of Mureck in Austria in both cases, and the endpoint is in Mohács. The aim of the planned project is to further develop the existing routes by establishing a tourism infrastructure providing services in 7 regions along the Croatian-Hungarian border.

Within the framework of the project, which does the programming as well, a communication platform was made (https://cbcjs.pannonegtc.eu), which provides an opportunity to gather project ideas, display, manage and run different events, carry out online questionnaire surveys, build database and manage communication activities.