Dear reader
It is a great pleasure and honour to introduce the very first newsletter from the Norwegian Embassy in Budapest, Hungary. The Embassy will regularly produce and send out a newsletter related to the EEA and Norway Grants.
As a receiver of the Embassy’s newsletter, you will obtain updated news about the Grants and the Grant periods 2004-2009 and 2009-2014.
The newsletter will be distributed to those who have subscribed on our website.
To register, fill out your e-mail address in the newsletter box in the side bar.
To make a difference
Through our articles you will meet the people involved in the Grants, spanning from scientists, NGOs, environmentalists to municipalities, cultural institutions and human resource centers in both Hungary and Norway.
You will get an insight into the project promoter’s work and motivation, and you will experience how the devoted effort of a handful people and support from a country up north, can make a difference.
Norway and Hungary together
For many years now Norway has actively contributed to the reduction of social and economic disparities in Europe through the European Economic Area – EEA-Agreement. The EEA is Norway’s most important foreign policy agreement, making Norway an equal partner of the EU internal market, with the same rights and obligations as the member states.
But the EEA, despite its name, entails so much more than just trade and economy. It is also about common values and shared responsibility for Europe’s future. This is reflected in our financial contributions through the Norway and EEA Grants.
Together with our EEA partners Iceland and Liechtenstein, Norway has contributed with more than 1, 3 billion euros in the period 2004-2009 to the new EU members.
During these five years a total of 1194 projects, programmes and funds have been awarded support. Norway is the largest donor state, providing 97 per cent of the funds, while Hungary is the second largest beneficiary, receiving 135 million euros.
100 projects and funds have or are currently being implemented in Hungary, and the majority of the projects are within the sectors for conservation of European cultural heritage, protection of the environment and human resource development.
Stronger ties with the Grants
Through the Grants, Norway has renovated schools and hospitals all across Hungary, we have supported Hungarian NGOs dedicated to the issues of environment, cultural heritage, social cohesion, health and civil liberties and capacity building.
We have through local initiative helped to clean the areas around Lake Balaton, preserved unique cultural heritage buildings, encouraged research in medical and technology science, introduced environmental training and secured jobs and education for young Romas, to name a few.
As we enter a new period with financial contributions for 2009-2014 we will continue this important work.
There is no doubt that through the Grants the ties between Norway and Hungary have been further strengthened. We want to continue to make these ties even stronger. This we can do through our close cooperation within the EEA.
To learn more about our cooperation, projects and upcoming events, I encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter.
I hope that you will enjoy these regular updates.
Yours sincerely,
Siri Ellen Sletner
Ambassador