Mariann Szabó (p), Viktória Józsa

Imre Nagy

The project “Authentic tourism based on local cultural flavours” was initiated by the Institute of Advanced Studies (iASK) located in Kőszeg, a small historic town on the Hungarian-Austrian border with exceptional yet under-utilized cultural heritage. iASK is a multidisciplinary research institute that runs the Kraft Programme (“Creative City – Sustainable Region”) an innovative, regional development concept that is funded by the Hungarian government. Kraft integrates soft and hard factors and utilizes synergies of interdependencies among rural and urban development. The methodology is also exploited and finetuned in the framework of the Local Flavours (LF) project. As a starting point, LF partners agree that in order to empower and support the participating locations, it is necessary to develop and implement strategies and management tools tailor-made to local circumstances and ambitions; establish and engage a flexible and creative workforce with state-of-the-art digital and interpersonal skills; promote and intensify cooperation between heritage management institutions, private and business stakeholders; and increase individual and mutual visibility by better leveraging targeted locations. To reach these key strategic aims, relevant policies and local/regional institutional, administrative and funding frameworks should be improved. To facilitate this process, Phase 1 of LF (ended January 2022) focuses on the Interregional Learning Process that has resulted in specific Action Plans, elaborated in the framework of the project. From a global perspective, cultural heritage portfolios are upgraded, demanding more systematic and eco-conscious management, as well as region-specific instruments and actions. Most importantly for Local Flavours, authentic tourism is gaining importance, which means that in addition to built heritage and nature, the everyday habits and lifestyles of people and communities are becoming attractions in themselves. The overall objective of the Local Flavours project is to improve policy instruments (PIs) that support the sustainable exploitation of the cultural heritage of small and medium-sized towns with potentially attractive portfolios. The current research aims to evaluate the interregional knowledge exchange process from the perspective of Action Plans and Policy Changes achieved.

Péter balogh (p)

Mariann Szabó

This contribution is based on fieldwork on both sides of the boundary between Ukraine and Hungary in November 2021. In total 22 deep interviews were conducted with local and regional elites, focusing on the effects of the border and bilateral relations on group dynamics in the area and beyond. While not always explicitly evoked by the interviewers, the answers of respondents often contained references to various geopolitical imaginaries – i.e. spatial concepts. Hungary and the Carpathian Basin were important reference points to Hungarians on both sides. Particularly interesting was how Europe was linked with different associations: whereas Ukrainian respondents assessed it in highly positive terms, the majority of Hungarian respondents now look at it with disappointment. However, it is not the Europeanness of Hungarians that was being questioned, but rather some policies of the European Union. The recently deteriorating relations between Ukrainians and Hungarians tended to be blamed by the former on Russia, which was less clear to the latter. When it comes to the border itself, Hungarian respondents in particular expressed frustration regarding its level of permeability. While the mere presence or location of the boundary was not questioned by any respondents, it is clear that for some of them the Carpathians still constitutes a phantom border.

Imre Nagy (p)

Péter balogh

One of the key tasks of the National Strategy of the Government of Hungary is to support the economic development of Hungarian communities abroad from 2015, in addition to the previous cultural and educational subsidies. The support of the Hungarians of Vojvodina started between 2015-2018, which was followed by the 2018-2022 support period, but the same process started in the direction of the Hungarian communities of the other states neighboring Hungary, in addition to Serbia, in Romania. In Slovakia, in the Hungarian-inhabited areas of Croatia and Slovenia, and in Ukraine. The outline of the support system started on the basis of development strategies based on the economic needs of the region, but it was implemented differently everywhere, depending on the receptivity of the neighboring country in question. In many cases, the success of the implementation and its implementation depended on the central institutions of the states, and it was also slowed down in one state.
A significant part of the support focused on the development of agricultural, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The under-planning of resource allocation pointed to strong application activity. The concentration of applications was observed in the area of the Hungarians and in the environment of the more developed urban areas.
In addition to the economic subsidies, the Hungarian subsidies can be used to support the activities of students studying at different levels of education, cultural life, non-governmental organizations and churches through the Hungarian National Council.