Hungary's Modern Cities Programme spending near HUF 1,500 bn
Of the 269 projects in the programme, 62 have been completed, with a further 23 expected to be concluded by the end of the year, according to Alpár Gyopáros, government commissioner in charge of developing modern communities.
The full budget of the programme is now estimated at HUF 3,900 bn (up from HUF 2,750 bn last year), with the European Union funding a third of the costs.
Broken down by individual cities, total funding for Szeged under the programme will amount to HUF 532 bn, followed by Békéscsaba with HUF 467 bn. It is important to note that these huge amounts also include major infrastructure developments that will affect the cities in question. The programme includes 28 major road projects and four railway projects with a combined total cost of HUF 2,353 bn, or about 60% of the total programme budget.
This shows that the MVP is actually a package comprising several development projects under EU-funded infrastructure and local government programmes, as well as individual projects the cities have agreed on with the government separately.
The Modern Cities Programme will see the construction of 690 km of motorways and highways, while public transportation will be developed in eight major cities. the programme also includes tourism and sport projects such as the renovation of the castles in Eger and Diósgyőr and the historic downtown of Sopron.
Hungary's cities have never before received such funding for development projects,
Gyopáros told the paper.
Cover photo: MTI/ Csaba Krizsán
