Development Perspectives of the Carpathian Basin Macroregion - The Case of Slovakia and Hungary [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION (András Kovács') The countries in Central and Eastern Europe are facing new challenges after the turn of the Millennium. They have to find the right direction in a world, where never seen effects influence their long-term prosperity (globalisation, régionalisation). (Simai, 2004). After the successful change of regime, démocratisation, EU and NATO integration, the states of the region have got new questions to answer, and these might oppose the efforts of some new nation states. Although the border barriers between the countries collapsed in the past decades (CEFTA agreement, EU membership, etc.); Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia joined the EU, and the states of the region^ share a common history, there are few signs of cooperation among the people and the regions of the emerging democracies. Besides the 'western' orientation the countries of Central and Eastern Europe often ignore the possible advantages deriving from the neighbourhood and cross-border development on national and subnational level too. The most powerful representatives of cross-border activities can be found in the business sector, the transnational companies (TNCs) settled in the region are building their strategies in the spirit of 'borderless Europe' (transnational procurement, forwarding, and selling, cross-border employee commuting). This one-sided cooperation structure (the capital-led development and the lack of cross-border policy and strategy in the affected regions and states) may result in the lagging behind of these countries inside the EU and in the global competition too, and can cause considerable social tension inside and between the borderlands of different countries (lack of harmonization in the infrastructure development, problems of the increasing depopulation in the borderlands, unemployment, environmental problems and protection). In this study I will emphasise the importance of the establishment of a transnational macroregion in the Carpathian Basin which may contribute in the fijture to the faster and more equal development of the participants. The Carpathian Basin Macroregion would have multiple tasks: economic development, social cohesion, coordination in environmental protection, paradiplomacy, etc. At one level the macro-region would represent the interests of the regions (NUTS 2, NUTS 3) internationally (EU commission. Parliament), and would accelerate and facilitate the common work among each other at the other. With the analysis of the economic, regional and state administrational relationships between Slovakia and Hungary I would like to stress on the opportunities and difficulties of the common work and development. ' Assitant research fellow, Research Institute of J. Selye University, [email protected] ^ Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia