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Description of the cross-border region

Romania
 

Hungary

Hungary is divided into seven regions, and those in the east of the country are still heavily dependent on agriculture. The percentage of agriculture, forestry and fishery in the GDP produced in the North and South Great Plain regions is 11.3% and 13.0% respectively. The percentage of the population engaged in agriculture is 7.8% and 12.5% respectively. Across Hungary there are 168 NUTS 4 microregions. The state of development of an area can be measured using a complex indicator based on 19 components. These include two agricultural indices, the proportion of the workforce employed in agriculture and the “Golden Crown” value per ha, which reflects the quality of the land. In the four Hungary-Romania border counties (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Hajdú-Bihar, Békés and Csongrád), 16 out of 40 microregions are classified as “most underdeveloped”, and most of these are rural. Indeed four out of the five microregions in these counties with the highest indicator value include the county towns of Nyíregyháza, Debrecen, Békéscsaba and Szeged. The two Great Plain regions together are home to almost 50% of the Hungarian population living in “most underdeveloped” microregions. Hence, the economy of the border region is characterised by a heavy dependence on agriculture, where employment levels are continuing to decline, and generally low levels of economic development. Economic problems are particularly severe in rural areas, and new strategies, such as support for rural entrepreneurs both within and outside agriculture, are required.