Annual event 2017 – Interreg brings colour to the region

This year’s annual event of the programme Interreg Austria-Hungary on 30 May 2017 in Sopron was themed twofold: 20 years of EU funded cross-border cooperation between Austria and Hungary, and “Let’s colour the region”.

The event “Let’s colour the region” has been based on the idea to set an action being visible in the region and a durable benefit for the region. A place in the public area shall be assigned to the programme and its objectives. A pedestrian underpass to the international railways at the railway station in Sopron, thus a busy urban area, has been beautified. By displaying the 4 thematic objectives, it shall become apparent to the public what the programme is about and what it stands for. During the works, the sequence of pictures, permanently remaining at this frequented place, has already raised the people’s interest and has been acknowledged very positively. Pictures can be found in the gallery!/can be found here! At this point, we again express our gratitude to GySEV Zrt. (Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurt Railway) for providing the public space.

Furthermore, a review on the history of the past 20 years of funding programmes in cross-border cooperation has been given during a conference.

What was the highest possible EU co-financing rate for projects and in which programme it has been offered?
Since when parts of Styria have been included in the programme area?
Has Lower Austria been involved in cross-border cooperation from the very beginning?
How many copies (Original, copy/duplicate) had to be submitted for a SPF-project in Phare CBC?

Have a guess, the answers can be found at the end of this article.

These and other more questions have been answered and the funding programmes have been presented through the ages. A keynote speech in the field of tourism has shown how cooperation between two countries and two cultures works in reality. In the frame of a panel discussion, long-time actors shared anecdotes, memorable moments and success stories from the past 20 years with the audience.

Altogether, this day thus offered several opportunities to the almost 100 participants and the programme, namely…
… revitalising the Interreg network.
… showing with the pictures at the railway station who we are and what we stand for.
… and thus, visualising Interreg in the region a bit more.

The video of the event is on YouTube available.