6. Monošter Forum
Support of Hungarian-Slovenian cooperation, promotion of joint developments
The 2025 Monošter Forum, launched in 2015 by the embassies of the two countries and CESCI, will take place on October 9 in the conference room of the Lipa Hotel in Szentgotthárd. The event has two themes: the support fund established by the two governments, and the development of a brand for the cross-border region based on local values.
Registration opens: 9:30
10:00 Beginning of the 6th Monošter Forum
Introduction: Mrs Dubravka Šekoranja, Consul General of the Republic of Slovenia in Monošter Mr Gábor Huszár, Mayor of Szentgotthárd
10:10 Slovenian-Hungarian Common Fund – Achievements and Future Perspectives
Moderator: Mrs Melinda Istenes-Benczi PhD, CESCI
High level speeches
- Dr Aleksander Jevšek, Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development
- Dr Csaba Latorcai, State Secretary for Regional Development, Ministry for Public Administration and Regional Development
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 Round-table discussion
Introduction and moderation: Mr Bence Sárossy, Director of the MURABA EGTC
Speeches
- Mrs Vesna Humar, State Secretary, Office for Slovenians Abroad and Around the World
- Mr Péter Kiss-Parciu, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Mrs Erika Kissné Köles, Advocate of Slovenian nationality in the Hungarian parliament and President of the Supervisory Board of the EGTC MURABA
Presentation of the 2024 projects
- Mr Gábor Huszár (Mayor of Szentgotthárd)
- Mr Janez Magyar (Mayor of Lendava)
- Mr Karel Holecz (Chair of the National Slovenian Self-Government of Hungary)
- Román Silvija (Chair of the Mura Region Hungarian Self-Governing National Community)
Mr Bence Sárossy: presentation of the call for projects of 2025
13:30 Towards a cross-border regional brand
Moderator: Mrs Kitti Dubniczki, CESCI
Introductory presentations
- Mr Péter Nagy, director of the Ister-Granum EGTC: An “existing” cross-border regional brand from the Slovak-Hungarian border
- Mr Mitja Ozbič, Lawyer, Ozbič D.O.O. and Mr Norbert Jankai, Senior Legal Adviser of CESCI: A brief overview on the legislative background of cross-border retail of local products in Slovenia and Hungary
14.10 Round-table discussion
Slovenian participants:
- Mr Robert Grah, Director, Mura Region Chamber of Commerce
- Mr Uroš Kamenšek, President, Mura Region Tourist Association
- Mr Andrej Smodič, Director, Goričko Nature Park
- Mr Metod Grah, Director, Thermal Spa Vivat
- Mrs Saša Požar, director of the Association of Slovenian Natural Spas (video message)
Hungarian participants:
- Mrs Zsédenyi Németh Tímea, Pannon Local Product Cluster
- Mrs Andrea Kovács, President of the Association of Slovenians in Hungary
- Mr Csaba Németh, Director of the National Park Őrség
- Mr Attila Németh, employee of the Herman Ottó Institute
16:00 Conclusion of the 6th Szentgotthárd/Monošter Forum – key messages by Mr Mátyás Jaschitz, Director, CESCI
Monošter Forum
9 October 2025.
Szentgotthárd, Hotel Lipa
6th Monošter Forum: from the intention to cooperate to the joint brand
On 9th October 2025, the sixth edition of the Monošter Forum took place in the conference hall of the Slovenian Cultural and Information Centre in Szentgotthárd. The event, first launched in 2015 through the joint initiative of the embassies of the two countries and CESCI, focused on the first tangible results of the Slovenian-Hungarian Joint Fund and on the creation of a regional brand built on the local values of the border region. The organisers aimed to bring together governmental, municipal, political, business and local stakeholders to discuss future steps based on previous cooperation.
The event was opened by Consul General Dubravka Šekoranja and Mayor Gábor Huszár, indicating that the forum is a meeting of both, diplomatic and territorial development importance.
The first session covered the operation of the joint fund so far and its future plans. Moderated by Dr Melinda Istenes-Benczi (CESCI), Dr Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development of Slovenia, spoke about the coordination of cohesion and bilateral instruments, emphasising the importance of the joint fund and synergies between programs; this was supplemented by Dr Csaba Latorcai, State Secretary responsible for regional development of the Ministry of Public Administration and Territorial Development, with experiences and specifics from the Hungarian side – highlighting examples of individual subsidies, small-scale business development, and public service and healthcare investments.
Afterwards, Bence Sárossy, director of MURABA EGTC, led and moderated the first round table discussion.
● State Secretary Vesna Humar (Office for Slovenians Abroad and Around the World) drew attention to the development policy aspects for minorities in the border region;
● Deputy State Secretary Péter Kiss-Parciu (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) highlighted the foreign economic positioning of border areas and the need for network cooperation;
● Erika Kissné Köles (Advocate of Slovenian nationality in the Hungarian parliament) named investments that help community identity and institution preservation as the key areas of the joint fund.
In the presentation of the 2024 projects
- Gábor Huszár (Monošter) presented the mobile home project being built to increase tourism capacity;
- Janez Magyar (Lendava) reported on the community benefits of the renewal of the bilingual cultural infrastructure, above all the Lendava/Lendva Library;
- Károly Holecz (National Slovenian Self-Government of Hungary) presented a project aimed at the touristic, cultural and educational utilisation of the old Slovenian water mill in Felsőszölnök/Gornji Senik;
- Silvija Roman (Mura Region Hungarian Self-Governing National Community) spoke about the modernisation of the Youth Home in Hodoš, which will represent cultural, educational and touristic base of minorities from the both sides of the Slovenian-Hungarian border.
Finally, Bence Sárossy presented the role of the EGTC MURABA, in particular regarding the joint fund.
The second discussion, moderated by Kitti Dubniczki (CESCI), specified the steps towards common regional branding. Péter Nagy, the director of the Ister-Granum EGTC, showed how it is worthwhile to organise the local product and service offer into a unified narrative and visual system using the example of a functioning, cross-border trademark. This was complemented by two legal presentations of results of the joint b-solutions case of Muraba EGTC and Pannon EGTC: Mitja Ozbič (law firm Ozbič d.o.o.) explained the practical aspects of the Slovenian regulatory environment – in particular the food hygiene regulations, the system of „small quantities” and the VAT rules affecting small businesses; and Dr Norbert Jankai (CESCI) systematised the most important elements of the Hungarian legal framework, from food chain law and consumer information to compliance points for small producer distribution and sales channels.
Participants of the branding roundtable based on regional characteristics and local products – Robert Grah (Mura Region Chamber of Commerce), Uroš Kamenšek (Mura Region Tourist Association), Andrej Smodič (Goričko Nature Park), Metod Grah (Thermal Spa Vivat), Saša Požar (Association of Slovenian Natural Spas; video message), and Tímea Zsédenyi Németh (Pannon Local Product Cluster), Andrea Kovács (Association of Slovenians in Hungary), Csaba Németh (National Park Őrség) and Attila Németh (Herman Ottó Institute) – discussed the development directions of the joint tourism and economic brand of the border region. The focus of their comments was on the strengthening of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and destination management, the integration of ecotourism and medical/experience tourism based on nature conservation values, bringing certified local products to the market, the sustainability of cultural and educational initiatives, and the coordination of quality assurance and nature conservation aspects.
In the closing message, Mátyás Jaschitz, Director of CESCI, summarised the lessons of the day: the joint, strategic use of the joint fund and EU regional instruments creates the conditions for the peripheral border region to become a „living center”, where young people on both sides of the border are promised realistic life opportunities. According to the consensus of the forum, all this can be achieved with a stable legal and financial background, coordinated program management and – above all – by strengthening mutual trust and cooperation.
Honlapunk a Külgazdasági és Külügyminisztérium támogatásával készült.
