Markovci, Slovenia, 18 September 2020 – Under the auspices of the European Commission and the INTERACT program throughout Europe for the ninth consecutive year, events are taking place at the European Cooperation Day. The events are taking place in the light of the celebration of 30 years of Interreg and cooperation in all its forms. The celebration focuses on three themes that are considered an important factor in building a stronger and more connected Europe: we all have a neighbor, youth and a greener Europe. Through various events, we want to emphasize the importance of the achievements of European regions and countries in cross-border cooperation. Projects implemented in this context have a significant impact on the quality of life of residents in border areas and bring long-term effects in the field of economy, tourism, cooperation as well as the preservation of the rich natural and cultural heritage. In this area Slovenia and Hungary realized a number of successful cross-border projects, which form the identity of the border area. The results of the Mura Raba tour and Green exercise projects were also presented to the participants of the event along the border paths, organized by the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (SVRK), the managing authority of the crossborder programme Slovenia-Hungary in 2014-2020 in cooperation with project partners of the Mura Raba tour project.

Participants gathered in Markovci in Goričko, Slovenia, where they were welcomed by Ms. Nina Seljak, Director of the European Territorial Cooperation and Financial Mechanisms Office in the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy and the Mayor of Šalovci Mr. Iztok Fertek. This was followed by a presentation of the Green Exercise project and the Mura Raba tour, which were co-financed by the cross-border cooperation program. The representative of the lead partner of the Mura Raba tour project Mr. Simon Balažic, director of TV AS, emphasized that the goal of the project is to establish water, equestrian, hiking and cultural tourism in this part of the cross-border area in the form of Mura raba tour destination for active leisure. The presentation was followed by a symbolic planting of a linden tree in honor of 30 years of successful cooperation of the regions within the Interreg family.

The participants then went on a short hike towards the Slovenian-Hungarian border to Čepince and along the way learned about the secrets of the rebels. In Čepinci, they visited the thematic museum collection on border guards in the renovated watchtower. This was followed by the planting of another tree, this time symbolically in the immediate vicinity of the Slovenian-Hungarian border.

The event was a nice opportunity to exchange experiences, opinions and, of course, socialize with representatives of various institutions and the public.

According to Nina Seljak, Director, Head of the Managing Authority, many successfully implemented cross-border projects are the result of cooperation between Hungarian and Slovenian partners, and today’s event would not have been possible without the cooperation and the Interreg program. “Cooperation is key to getting to know each other and building trust in the cross-border area. The Mura Raba tour and Green exercise projects presented today prove that cooperation pays off in practice, ensures the visibility of the project and a larger number of visitors, “she said, adding that many studies have shown that organization and cooperation at the cross-border level is high. better and brings better efficiency compared to efficiency only at the national level, which is also reflected in better spending.

Pictures from the event are available here.

Short video of the event is available here.

News by TV AS about the event can be watched here.

You are invited to attend the hiking event in Slovenia, on Friday, 18 September 2020, in the framework of the European Cooperation Day (EC DAY) 2020.

As part of the Mura Raba tour project two field trips for tourism workers who learned about the cross-border local offer in connection with the possibilities of active leisure in the region has been carried out.