TENS OF THOUSANDS INTERESTED IN THE OPEN DAY OF EU DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Occasioned by the European Year of Citizens 2013, the National Development Agency started its programme “Open Day of European Union Development Projects – Walk behind the Scenes” to show the many ways membership in the European Union contributes to the betterment of the life conditions of Hungarians. The nation-wide event series was inaugurated by the Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of National Development, Nándor Csepreghy, István Simicskó, Member of Parliament and Secretary of State for Sports at the Ministry of Human Resources and Dr. Balázs Szeneczey, Deputy Mayor of Budapest responsible for urban development, and attracted tens of thousands of people throughout the country. The M4 Project also joined the initiative: some 800 registered visitors saw the almost fully completed Tétényi út station under the professional guidance of BKK and BKV staff in the framework of the Open Day.

The development of Hungary has been determined by investment projects from EU funds in recent years, but the country knows about the projects almost only from the media. In order to start a tradition, the National Development Agency organized a nation-wide open day programme for 2 March 2013, where the most important development projects of the country were shown to the public. The aim was to demonstrate to the public that the New Széchenyi Plan and through it the EU funds are not abstract concepts but actual development projects which will augment the daily life of all. The European Year of Citizens has provided excellent opportunities for local communities to have a closer look at the way membership in the European Union contributes to the improvement of their lives. Due to the great success of the event, the institution plans to enable such annual visits to similar investment projects in the future, hoping the EU Open Day will initiate a custom.

In the case of Metro Line 4, the reason why Tétényi út station was chosen is that visitors will be able to see here conditions close to those at the time the Test in Traffic Operation is planned to begin in a year’s time – Swietelsky Magyarország Kft. is about to complete the fit-out of the station. Due to its special cupola structure, the architectural concept of the entire line, that natural light should find its way right down to the platforms, will prevail at Tétényi út station, as well. The designers implemented scores of ideas and solutions to make travel by metro be a realistic alternative to travel by car. These solutions, the huge internal spaces and natural light, will decrease the sense of being closed in and increase passenger comfort.

THE OPEN DAY OF EU DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

In the framework of the event, some 30 investment projects were opened to the public throughout the country, which would otherwise be closed or can be visited only by paying admission fees. The projects thus visited include cultural, tourist, scientific or infrastructural ones alike. Thus the Tétényi út station of Metro Line 4, the reconstruction of the Palace Gardens Bazaar, the interactive exhibition of the Museum of Natural Sciences and one of the renewed buildings of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music could be seen.

There were a great number of events outside Budapest, too. The Korda Film Park Visitor Centre at Etyek, the Vásárhelyi-Bréda mansion at Lőkösháza, the Esterházy Palace at Fertőd, the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter and Kodály Centre in Pécs could be visited free of charge. For nature lovers, the Eco Centre at Lake Tisza, the prehistoric finds at Ipolytarnóc and the Botanical Gardens of the Szeged University offered meaningful recreation programmes.

Visitors could also have a glimpse of the lives of firms, watching how the energy drink HELL Energy is made, where a new wing was built using environment-friendly materials and technologies, which is fit for housing state-of-the-art equipment. Moreover, the public could visit environmentally conscious development projects, such as the bio-mass heating plant on the area of the Pannonhalma Abbey, which uses renewable energy sources for heating the abbey, or the ultrasonic-technology PET waste recycling plant of Adu Develop Kft in Székesfehérvár.

THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF CITIZENS

The European Year of Citizens (2013) calls attention the rights that all persons living in the European Union are automatically entitled to by virtue of European citizenship. These rights are beneficial to 500 million European citizens and thus the entire economy of Europe. For further Information visit: http://europa.eu/citizens-2013/hu/home

Budapest, 2 March 2013

Budapest Municipality
Budapest Transport Centre (BKK)
National Development Agency
BKV Zrt. DBR Metro Project Directorate

Photos by Viktória Dani