DEVELOPMENT OF CROSS-BORDER ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIPS

The Euroregion's strong sides show us, that there is a great potential in the development of mutual economic co-operation, that could help us to solve the current problems of the involved regions. The large and diversified raw-material fundament on the Slovak side (wood, soap-stone, kaolin, ceramic-, clay-, glass-making, heat-resistant raw materials and others) and the capacities of processing plants on the Hungarian side predetermine mutually favourable conditions for increasing the level of entrepreneurial activities. From the view of development of cross-border co-operation it is also important that institutions are established for purpose of supporting common economic activities (the Slovak-Hungarian commercial and industrial chamber, the Foundation for support of entrepreneurial activities in the Nógrád region, the Neogradiensis Euregion and others). Industrial production is a determining factor in the economy of our southern neighbour - the Nógrád county. Similarly to national and international trends, beside industrial production also services were massively developed on this territory in the last decade. As examples can serve cross-border activities oriented towards industrial parks (on the territory of the Nógrád county there are already 4 industrial parks, on the Slovak side there are plans to establish at least 2). The common effort should be most importantly aimed at bringing new investors to the Euroregion and at improving common Slovakian-Hungarian entrepreneurial activities, improving the territory's infrastructure, support of innovations and common development of new products (e. g. in the area of building industry) and creating common sources for the listed purposes mainly by using the support programs (later structural funds) of the EU. The Neogradiensis Euroregion consists of territories that are on the periphery of economic activities in their own states, which is a weak side of it. It expresses itself mainly in the social and economic sphere, which means a low production force and production capabilities of the region, a high unemployment rate and social necessity in many families. It is imperative for the districts of Lučenec, Poltár, Veľký Krtíš on the Slovak side to accept help from abroad and to mobilise internal resources of the region, and the same goes for the Nógrád county on the Hungarian side. The economy of both territories is similarly aimed at decreasing the inequalities and at joining more developed regions, but at the same time mutual co-operation and informedness, that could help to solve common social and economic problems, is on a very low level. The Euroregion is markedly undersized concerning investments. The lack of modern technologies (high-tech) in industrial plants on the Euroregion's territory is also related to insufficient resources from investments and as an effect the potential of the territory (raw materials, wood etc.) is insufficiently or ineffectively utilized. Mutual co-operation should be also aimed at equal deployment of industrial and economic activities according to strong sides of the territory in order to create working opportunities evenly and to avoid the dependence from a single strategic business establishment. The Euroregion creates ideal opportunities for similar intentions.

But without the support of the involved states, Banská Bystrica county and Nógrád county, and also without a creative and positive political climate, without a systematic support of entrepreneurial activities, Slovakian - Hungarian cross-border co-operation in the frame of the Neogradiensis Euroregion cannot bring the expected changes in the social and economic sphere.
Processing industry on the Euroregion's territory, the agricultural tradition in the southern districts of the Banská Bystrica county (districts of Lučenec, Poltár and Veľký Krtíš) that form the Euroregion's northern part, an advantageous geographical position, favourable soil and climate conditions for cultivation of agricultural crops, fruit, vegetable, medicinal plants and small-fruit, excellent conditions for processing wood, diversification opportunities in the rural areas (let us say creation of final goods) create prerequisites for the development of agricultural production and wood-processing in the frame of the Neogradiensis Euroregion. A very weak side of the Euroregion is that the traditions and human potential are not utilised in the present time, the agriculture stagnates, technologies are out of date and production is not competitive. These problems are common for the rural inhabitants on both sides of the border, therefore it's substantial to stop the recession of rural areas and to create conditions for diversification and education of the Euroregion's inhabitants with a common effort. A non-uniform and uncommitted marketing can lower the Euroregion's competitiveness in the EU in the area of agriculture and forest management. By linking together the strong sides if the Euroregion's territory it is possible to gradually eliminate the problems related to structural changes that came with the transformation after the year 1989. The opportunities that are enabled by economic, commercial and political changes related to the accession to the European Union give the Euroregion a chance to gradually diminish the existing barriers and to trigger development in the listed areas on the whole territory of the Euroregion (that means the districts of Lučenec, Poltár, Veľký Krtíš and last, but not least, the Nógrád county).