The Local Self Governments of the City of Bratislava (SK) and Győr-Moson-Sopron County (HU) were granted through the Resilient Borders call to compile an action plan detailing the governance structure and joint development fields for the cross-border functional metropolitan area of the Slovak capital. The compilation of the document was facilitated by a series of workshops, the subsequent event of which was held on 25 March 2025 in Rajka.

Today, more than 13,000 Slovak citizens live in the Austrian and Hungarian vicinities of Bratislava, mostly in 25 municipalities. The suburbanisation process generates phenomena and challenges similar to those within a country, but the situation is further complicated by the state borders and the different administrative and political systems of the three countries.

To identify the common challenges and potential solutions, the partners of the pilot action convened the Austrian and Hungarian mayors of the municipalities hosting Slovak residents to exchange experiences and good practices. The participants were greeted by Mr Vince Kiss, Mayor of Rajka and Mr Ferenc Ivanics, Vice Chair of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Council.

The discussion moderated by Christian Berger, representative of the Slovak-Austrian baum_cityregion office and Gyula Ocskay, Secretary General of CESCI revolved around the major challenges the Austrian and Hungarian municipalities face, namely housing, transport, education, language barriers, and daily administration of the Slovak citizens. During the lively debate, Austrian mayors could share good practices with their Hungarian counterparts, even if the legislative environment differs. The participants concluded that cultural differences influence the frequency and the way of management of the challenges. At the same time, these differences are not unsurmountable.

The workshop feeds into the compilation of the action plan and will facilitate the identification of the joint development fields for the cross-border functional area. The biggest result is that the discussion will continue as Mr Johannes Hornek, the Mayor of Kittsee invited the participants to the next meeting. There are still many topics to be discussed.

The Resilient Borders pilot action’s next workshop will be held in Bratislava on 11 April where spatial and regional planners from the three countries will share their experiences and views regarding the most important interventions fields within the cross-border metropolitan area.