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Cross-border Cooperation Austria - Hungary 2014-2020 Regional Analysis and SWOT DRAFT - 25.06.2013

Cross-border Cooperation Austria - Hungary 2014-2020 Regional

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Page 1: Cross-border Cooperation Austria - Hungary 2014-2020 Regional

Cross-border Cooperation Austria - Hungary 2014-2020 Regional Analysis and SWOT

DRAFT - 25.06.2013

Page 2: Cross-border Cooperation Austria - Hungary 2014-2020 Regional

mecca - Ingenieurbüro für Raum- und Landschaftsplanung Unternehmensberatung | EDV Dienstleistungen 1130 Wien | Paul-Hörbiger Weg 12 | Tel.: +43-1-526 51 88 | Fax: +43-1-526 51 88 11 [email protected] | www.mecca-consulting.at Vital Pro Ltd. (Vitál Pro Management Consultants Ltd.) 1082 Budapest | Üllői út 66/a, 2/2 T/F: +36 1 210 0827 [email protected] | www.vitalpro.hu

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Index 1.  The Austrian-Hungarian Border Region .................................................................... 4 

1.1  Programme Area and Regional Structure ............................................................ 4 1.2  Regional Analysis ........................................................................................ 5 

1.2.1  Basic Description/Demography ................................................................. 5 1.2.2  Economy and Labour Market .................................................................... 7 1.2.3  Education, Research and Development ...................................................... 13 1.2.4  Environment and Energy ....................................................................... 18 1.2.5  Infrastructure and Mobility .................................................................... 21 1.2.6  Tourism and Leisure ............................................................................ 28 1.2.7  Social Services and Health Care .............................................................. 29 

1.3  SWOT Analysis ......................................................................................... 33 

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1. THE AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BORDER REGION

1.1 PROGRAMME AREA AND REGIONAL STRUCTURE The Austrian - Hungarian border region fulfills an important bridge-building function between Western and Eastern Europe and stretches along a main corridor between the Baltic and Adriatic Seas. This excellent geographic location has contributed to an above average economic growth in recent years.

Map 1 : General Map

The programme area consists of eleven NUTS3 regions in Eastern and Southern Austria, as well as Western Hungary. It covers the Austrian NUTS 3 regions Nordburgenland, Mittelburgenland and Südburgenland, Niederösterreich Süd, Wiener Umland/Südteil, Wien, Graz and Oststeiermark and the Hungarian NUTS3 regions Győr-Moson-Sopron, Vas and Zala, which, in combination, form the NUTS2 region Western Transdanubia. The region shows clearly visible regional disparities: north-south, west-east, urban agglomerations and structurally weak rural areas. For that it is difficult to make general statements. Thus finding a joint cooperation base like common interests or similar problems over the border might appear more challenging due to the different level of development by the individual regions.

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The core programme area remained in large part the same as in the period 2007 – 2013, with the addition of the metropolitan area of Graz being the only exception. Graz is an important transport hub and impulse centre in the southern part of the programme region.

1.2 REGIONAL ANALYSIS

1.2.1 BASIC DESCRIPTION/DEMOGRAPHY The region consists of approximately 4.2 Mio inhabitants within an area of 25.141 km². The Austrian regions represent 76,5% of the population on 55% of the area, and the Hungarian regions 23,5% of the population on 45,1% of the area.

Table 1: Demographic main indicators of the region

Source: Eurostat, Statistik Austria, Hungarian Statistical Office While Győr-Moson-Sopron contributes the greatest area to the project region, the highest population is concentrated in Wien. Over the last 10 years population development shows two main trends facing the region; Peripheral areas have to deal with population stagnation and decrease, while urban areas and their surroundings like Wien and Graz encounter a strong population increase. The region also shows distinct north-south-divide. Wien and its surroundings grew over the last decade (overall due to migration from other parts of the programme region and from outside), the regions of Südburgenland and Oststeiermark stagnated, and the Hungarian regions Vas and Zala lost over 4% of their population. Only Graz and its urban hinterland positively differ from this trend in the south. The population forecast for 2030 predicts a growing population for all Austrian regions, but with large regional disparities.

Nuts area (km²)population 2001 (census)

population 2011 (as of january 1)

population density 2011 (inhabitants/km²)

population development 2001-2011 in %

percentage of regional population 2011

population forecast 2030

population forecast 2010-2030 %

Mittelburgenland 700,8 38.096 37.522 54 -1,5% 0,9% 38.007 1,3%

Nordburgenland 1.790,7 140.976 149.690 84 6,2% 3,5% 168.423 12,5%

Südburgenland 1.472,0 98.497 97.685 66 -0,8% 2,3% 99.546 1,9%

Niederösterreich-Süd 3.374,1 246.144 253.055 75 2,8% 6,0% 276.667 9,3%

Wiener Umland/Südteil 1.475,8 293.335 319.066 216 8,8% 7,5% 381.188 19,5%

Wien 414,7 1.550.123 1.714.142 4.134 10,6% 40,5% 1.901.723 10,9%

Graz 1.230,4 357.548 404.093 328 13,0% 9,5% 454.837 12,6%

Oststeiermark 3.354,0 268.054 267.010 80 -0,4% 6,3% 271.117 1,5%

Győr-Moson-Sopron 4.208,0 434.209 449.967 107 3,6% 10,6% n.a. n.a.

Vas 3.337,0 269.149 257.688 77 -4,3% 6,1% n.a. n.a.

Zala 3.784,0 300.496 287.043 76 -4,5% 6,8% n.a. n.a.

whole region 25.141,4 3.996.627 4.236.961 169 6,0%

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Map 2: Population development 2001-2011

The region is characterized by a mix of ethnic groups on both sides of the border. The differences in population growth North-South have been historically less significant than East–West differences and that remains the case today – creating difficulties for efforts to strengthen regional economic cohesion.

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Map 3: Urban System

The region consists of a broad variety of urban agglomerations, small- and medium-sized towns and several rural communalities. Due to topography, the Austrian agglomerations are concentrated in a few core areas like Wien and Graz, while in Hungary the urban fabric is more evenly spread. The largest cities1 in the region are Wien (1,7 Mio. inhabitants), Graz (265.318), Győr (131.267), Szombathely (79.590), Zalaegerszeg (61.970), Sopron (60.755), Nagykanizsa (49.850), Wiener Neustadt (41.537), Mosonmagyaróvár (32.493) and Baden (25.142).

1.2.1.1 Conclusions Urban areas are becoming continuously more attractive to inhabitants due to pull-factors such as working places, good infrastructure, better access to social services and health care as well as many educational opportunities. The demographic trends in the north have positive effects for the labour market and generate demand for higher level of services (eg. higher education, health and wellness, spas) and for quality products (eg. organic food products). At the same time, the southern region (aside from Graz) is faced with a decreasing population and emigration. The trend of an ever ageing population threatens to accelerate this phenomena.

1.2.2 ECONOMY AND LABOUR MARKET Combined, the northern regions comprise one of the strongest economic regions of Europe. In comparison, the region of Mittelburgenland, as well as the Hungarian counties achieve less than 75% of the European average. Especially sharp differences can be observed between the Austrian regions Wien, Wiener Umland and Graz on one hand and the Hungarian counties of Zala and Vas on the other hand. Additionally, the negative impact of the economic crises was considerably larger on the Hungarian side of the border region than the Austrian side.

Map 4: GDP per capita (PPS) and Gross value added at basic prices in Mio€/per sector (2009)

1 Source: Statistik Austria, 2012; Központi statisztikai hivatal, 2011.

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Table 2: GDP per capita and GVA

The general trend of the changing structure of the economy has been similar to all developed economies over the last decades: a decrease in the share of the primary sector (dominantly the

2008 (Million EUR)

2009 (Million EUR)

2010 (Million EUR)

2008/2010 (%)

Mittelburgenland 73 679 676 664 -2,2%Nordburgenland 95 3267 3277 3434 5,1%Südburgenland 79 1786 1769 1879 5,2%Niederösterreich-Süd 92 5590 5390 5654 1,1%Wiener Umland/Südteil 152 11559 11281 11736 1,5%Wien 165 66814 65546 68288 2,2%Graz 143 13993 13577 13995 0,0%Oststeiermark 91 5530 5472 5871 6,2%Győr-Moson-Sopron 77 4518 3701 4368 -3,3%Vas 56 2032 1649 1808 -11,0%Zala 54 2168 1838 1948 -10,1%Source: Eurostat

GDP per capita (PPS) in % of EU-27

average, 2010

Gross value added at basic prices

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agriculture in the border region), generally a decreasing employment trend in the secondary sector, and fast growth in the tertiary sector. However, the Austrian-Hungarian border region is not homogenous in this respect and shows obvious regional disparities. In the regions with highest per capita GDP – Wien and Wiener Umland Südteil – agriculture has a very minor role in employment (below 2%) but services have a dominant position (above 70%). Graz’s the share of agriculture is (to a lesser extent) also characteristically low (3,1%) while having a high per capita GDP characterized by a high proportion of tertiary sector employment. By contrast Oststeiermark remained the only area within the Austria-Hungarian border region where the share of agriculture is still almost 20%. Agriculture and forestry, as well as downstream industries such as wood- and food-processing play a similarly important role in the Hungarian border region as in Nord-, Mittelburgenland and Oststeiermark, although the share of the employment of this sector remains moderate, especially in Győr–Moson-Sopron. A clear shift from the primary sector to the processing industries (secondary sector) can be observed in the three Hungarian counties, with higher employment values in this sector than the Austrian regions. The employment in the tertiary sector remains relatively low in all of the Hungarian counties, however, the share of this sector in Zala is higher than in the three Austrian regions, situated dominantly in the southern part of the border region. The relative high share of the services in Zala can be explained on one hand by the comparatively high unemployment level (10,8%, 2009) that obviously does not affect the public services and the development of tourism-related services in this particular county. The economic importance of primary sector in the Hungarian counties can be explained in part because the arable lands in Győr-Moson-Sopron belong to the best quality lands in Central Europe and Zala has the highest forest coverage in Hungary. Also in areas with relatively weaker soil quality, (Zala county) the soil structure and the balanced climatic conditions provide good conditions for agriculture, providing also opportunities for a slight increase of employment in this sector.

Figure 1: Employed persons by sector (AT-2009, HU-2011)

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Wien has a low share of manufacturing jobs and a high share of high-ranking services jobs within both the public and private sectors. It is a centre for the banking and insurance industries, as well as for international organisations and group company headquarters. This economic strength influences patterns and development trends of the northern part of the border region and has been supported by highly dynamic surrounding regions (Wiener Umland Südteil, Nordburgenland, Győr-Moson-Sopron). While economic structures are more diversified in Nordburgenland, the economy in Mittelburgenland and Südburgenland is concentrated on few industries and locations (textile and garments industries). The construction industry also accounts for a very high share of jobs. The benefits of the economic conditions in Nordburgenland are based largely on location factors that result from the region’s vicinity to the central space of Wien. The largest enterprises in the region belong to the food and beverages industry, metal-working and wood processing industries. Characteristic for Burgenland is that, on average, the enterprises within each of these three industries employ less than 20 workers each. A typical feature of the NUTS III regions of Niederösterreich is the high share of employment in the service sector (Wiener Umland Südteil) and the high share of industries and services (Niederösterreich-Süd). Oststeiermark has a very high share of employment in agriculture and processing and marketing of agricultural products. Besides that innovative forms of energy production and environmental friendly technologies are beginning to play a growing role in the economics make-up of the region. The Hungarian side of the border region experienced a relatively fast structural change in the past 20 years. The weight of agriculture has decreased dramatically and the share of processing – mainly manufacturing – industries increased. The structural change of the economy was led in large part by foreign direct investments (FDI). The major factor to attract FDI was access to skilled and relatively cheap labour. The export oriented industries – especially machinery and related sectors –showed the most dynamic development. The new investments have created the largest vehicle and car components industry in Hungary. The automobile industry continues to have a growing presence in Hungary: Audi is set to launch a new assembly plant in Győr and the larger manufacturing enterprises working in the automobile industry in Szombahely-Zalaegereszeg-Szentgotthard triangle are planning a partnership based development programme in order to increase their activity in the border region. The growth and development of manufacturing sector in Győr-Moson-Sopron has continued steadily, while from 2005 the GVA of this sector was decreased in the other two Hungarian counties. Due to the the weak local embeddedness and the price sensitivity of the newly settled companies, the economic structure has remained fragile in Vas and Zala and was thus heavily affected by the economic downturn of 2008. One key driver of sector oriented economic development is the industry clusters. Altogether there are 38 clusters covering a wide range of economics activities operating in the border region. The clusters are key players in spurring economic development and innovation through cross-border co-operation. The key professional areas of the clusters are: automotive and mechatronic, IT development, (renewable) energy, logistics, wood processing, local products and wellbeing – thermal spa tourism.

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Table 3: Clusters in the border region

1.2.2.1 Employment There is a significant difference between the Austrian and the Hungarian side of the border region regarding employment rates. The employment rates in the Austrian part of the border region are above the European average by 3-9% while the West- Transdanubia region is below the European average by 4%. In national comparison, employment rates of the Hungarian counties are characteristically above the Hungarian national average (+4% in age group over 15), while the values of the Austrian regions remain slightly (- 1 - 3%) below the Austrian national average. Especially the employment rate of women in West-Transdanubia (consists of Győr-Moson-Sopron, Vas and Zala) is 4% below the EU 27 average. However, the female employment rate is particularly high in Steiermark and Niederösterreich at 9% above EU 27 average. The employment rate of the 55-64-aged generally is significantly below EU-average in the entire programme region.

Cluster Partners Cluster PartnersBau.Energie.Umwelt 221 Logistik 107Kunststoff (in Cooperation with Upper Austria)

86 (Lower Austria) Mechatronik

72 (Lower Austria)

Lebensmittel 88Life Science Austria Vienna n/a Mobilitätscluster Wien 88

IT-Cluster Wien 274 Umweltcluster Wien 70

BurgenlandKunststoff-Cluster Burgenland 17 ICT Burgenland 31

ACstyria Autocluster over 180 Human.technology Styria 76Bionanonet 30 Materials Cluster Styria n/aCreative Industries Styria n/a TECHFORTASTE.NET 9ECO WORLD STYRIA Umwelttechnik Cluster 170 Nanonet-Styria 28

Holzcluster Steiermark over 150Verein Netzwerk Logistik SÜD over 330 (AT)

Hungarian Furnitureindustrie Cluster 22 Sopron Region IT Cluster 26

Pannon Automotive Cluster 99

Sopron Region Logistic Cluster 42

West Pannone Ökocluster 32 Pannon Textile Cluster 23

PanEnerg (Pannon Renewable Energy Cluster)

22 Pannon Thermal Cluster 20

Pannon Local Product Cluster 13 Knowledge clasterr 40

Pannon Logistics Cluster 31West-Transdanubian Pellets Claster 25

Pannon Wood and Furniture 137

Pannon Mechatronics Cluster 43

Vas

Zala

Source: http://www.clustercollaboration.eu/; www.ecoplus.at, http://www.sfg.at; http://www.vite.at/overview/de/; http://www.lifescienceaustria.at/

Nieder-österreich

Wien

Györ-Moson-Sopron

Steiermark

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Table 4: Total employment and employment rates, 2011

The dominant role of Wien in the regional labour market pattern is underlined by high commuter rates in the surrounding regions. A high percentage of Burgenland’s and Niederösterreich’s labour force are employed outside their federal states. This trend is not significant in the Hungarian counties due to their rather evenly spread urban centres that offer work places for the resident labour force and function as commuter targets for the surrounding municipalities.

1.2.2.2 Unemployment Unemployment rates differ between the Austrian and Hungarian parts of the region. After the start of the economic crises the unemployment rate increased especially in the Vas and Zala counties where unemployment is now above 10%. Zala is the only region with an unemployment rate above the EU-27 average. Youth unemployment in Wien is above the Austrian average, but in general the unemployment among the young people in the Hungarian border region is significantly higher (+9-13%) than in the Austrian territories.

Table 5: Unemployment rate

1.2.2.3 Assessment of the cross-border labour market European integration provides a new framework for cross-border labour market relations. While many Hungarians work in Austria, official statistics do not indicate a significant number of Austrian employees on the Hungarian side of the border region. In Austria, the free movement of labour force was introduced in 2010. The labour market liberalization had a significant impact on the labour markets of the neighbouring Hungarian counties. From the introduction of free movement of labour into Austria in late 2010 to March, 2011 the estimated number of Hungarians working in Austria increased from 28,000 to 50,000. Most of them are commuters. Within Burgenland’s labour market, for example, every fifth employee is from abroad, most of them Hungarians. Hungarian employment is high in its share also in the other Austrian regions of the program area. A relatively new migration trend within Hungary has been

Employment rate (15-64)

2012

Employment rate (55-64)

2012

Females employment rate

(55-64) 2012Wien 67,8 44,3 35,3Burgenland 70,2 38,2 27,4Niederösterreich 73,5 44,4 35,2Steiermark 72,4 39,7 29,7Nyugat-Dunántúl 61,7 37,3 32,8Austria 72,5 43,1 34,1Hungary 57,2 36,9 32,2EU 27 64,1 48,9 41,8Source: Eurostat

Unemployment rate annual

average 2009 in %

Unemployment rate annual

average 2012 in %

Unemployment rate annual

average men 2012 in %

Unemployment rate annual

average women 2012 in %

Youth unemployment

(15-24) 2012 in %

Mittelburgenland 4,7 Wien 7,9 8,7 7 17,7Nordburgenland 3,8 Burgenland 4,4 4,2 no data no dataSüdburgenland 5,8 Niederösterreich 4,1 4,1 4,1 8,1Niederösterreich-Süd 5,2 Steiermark 3,2 2,9 3,7 5,1Wiener Umland/Südteil 4,4 Nyugat-Dunántúl 7,4 7,4 7,4 20,3Wien 7,5 Austria 4,3 4,3 4,3 8,7Graz 5,1 Hungary 10,9 11,2 10,6 28,1Oststeiermark 3,6 EU 27 10,4 10,4 10,5 22,9Győr-Moson-Sopron 6,3Vas 10,2Zala 10,8Source: Eurostat

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observed also, in terms of people moving from the less developed eastern regions of Hungary to the border area in search of better employment.

Table 6: Average labour costs

The sectors employing most of the Hungarian commuter workforce are: construction, agriculture, catering, hospitality, health care and the social sector. A significant proportion of the jobs are temporary or seasonal. The increased Austrian employment opportunities and the considerable differences in the wage level brought about a shortage of well-trained labour force in certain sectors within Hungary (e.g. in tourism-related services, construction or engineering) and put a constant upward pressure on the wage level in the Hungarian counties. Employment of Austrians in the Hungarian counties is practically negligible. Recognizing this trend, labour offices in both countries began to cooperate 15 years ago. Through this cooperation several innovative joint-projects (e.g labour market pacts) have been implemented in order to handle the challenges of the labour markets. AT-HU 2007 – 13 OP finances important projects aimed at continuing to improve the crossborder mobility of the workforce, such as:

• The Jobtour FREE allows for the cross-border comparisons the professions, the training and qualifications behind. In addition the platform provides information regarding the way of practicing professions in the two countries as well as regarding the employment of people from neighboring countries.

• The future of the border region (IGR, Zukunft im Grenzraum) project aims at informing employees of Burgenland and western Hungarian border area regarding cross-border employment issues.

• ISA - Integration of underprivileged pupils in the labour market.

1.2.2.4 Conclusions There is an increasing need for the economic co-operation and network building in the border regions, especially in the following areas: automotive and mechatronic, IT development, (renewable) energy, logistic, wood processing, local products and wellbeing –- thermal spa tourism. Wien plays a dominant role in the structure of the labour market with a high number of commuters both from Austrian and Hungarian surrounding areas. As the number of the Hungarian workers working in Austria increases, the border regions will become increasingly at risk of experiencing a shortage of skilled workers in certain sectors (e.g. in tourism-related and health-related services, construction or engineering) and put a constant upward pressure on the wage level in the Hungarian counties. As a consequence, in these counties lack of available skilled workforce has been identified as one of the most serious obstacles of accelerated development of these sectors. This will have an especially strong negative impact on the Vas and Zala counties as they struggle against the high unemployment in which more than the half of the unemployed persons are now considered to be long-term unemployed (more than 180 days out of the labour market).

1.2.3 EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The prime location for high-quality education and research facilities within the entire Austrian-Hungarian border region are the cities of Wien and Graz.

Labour costs € per h 2011

Mean hourly

earnings * € per h 2010

Austria 29 14,6Hungary 8 4,6

*enterprises with 10 employees or more

Source: Eurostat

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Map 5: Universities in the Austrian-Hungarian border-region

Five universities and three academies of arts are located in Wien, six universities and polytechnics in Graz. In Hungary, two universities have the head offices and the central campuses in the region: the Széchenyi István Egyetem in Győr and the Nyugat-Magyarországi Egyetem in Szombathely and Sopron. Further university faculties are located in Mosonmagyaróvár and Keszthely. Universities of applied sciences are located in Wiener Neustadt, Eisenstadt, Pinkafeld, Stadtschlaining and Szombathely. Additional higher education units work in the larger cities Nagykanizsa, Zalaegerszeg, Mödling, Kőszeg and Weiz. The following table shows the connection between the cluster areas in the region and the faculties of the Universities.

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Table 7: Clusters and universities

The highest proportion of the tertiary educated people is in Wien (26,9%) which provides a good basis for the higher value added economy. Burgenland and Wien have the highest proportion of persons who possess only a lower secondary level of education within the region. Compared to the EU-27 average, the different educational system is clearly visible.

Figure 2: Education 2011

The size of the research and development expenditure shows great differences at Member State level. According to 2010 Eurostat data R&D spending in terms of % of the GDP was 2,76 in Austria,

Győr-Moson-Sopron

Vas Zala Wien Steier-mark

Nieder-österreich

Burgen-land

Automotive and mechatronic X X X X X

IT development X X X X X XRenewable energy X X X XLogistic X X X XWood processing XLocal products X X X X XWellbeing - thermal tourism X X X X

Key cluster areas

Education at the universities

Source: own collection

16,6 19,7 18,1 16,8 14,826,6

66,2 65,355

66 68,2 46,6

17,2 1526,9

17,2 1726,8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Nyu

gat-D

unán

túl

Bur

genl

and

Wie

n

Nie

derö

ster

reic

h

Ste

ierm

ark

EU

-27

Persons aged 25-64 with education attainment (%), 2011

lower secondary education upper secondary education tertiary education

Quelle: meccaSource: mecca

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which is almost 40% higher than EU27 average (2,00%), while in Hungary spending was below 60% of the EU average, staying as low as 1,16%. Breaking down R&D expenditure by sector, the business enterprise sector in Austria with 1,88% spending is among the best performing among Member States in this respect (almost 150% of the 1,23% EU 27 average), while Hungary, with 0,69% is clearly in the lower half of the EU 27 Member States (less than 60% of the EU 27 average). Government spending, however does not show that sharp of a difference (0,15% for Austria and 0,21% for Hungary). Data for the Higher Education sector shows that the sector is more active in R&D in Austria (0,72 % GERD), less in Hungary (0,23% GERD). EU 27 data again indicates that Austrian investment is above average while Hungarian investment lies below the average (0,49% EU 27). Austria’s stronger position is also clear in terms of researchers in full time equivalents (FTE): whereas in Hungary the total number FTE researchers is 21 300, in Austria it is 35 900. The former constitutes 235, the latter 438 researchers per 100 000 inhabitants.

Figure 3: R&D Expenditures % of GDP 2009

In the border regions, the total internal R&D expenditures (Eurostat, 2009) show great local differences too. Wien has a prominent position with gross domestic expenditure on R&D as high as 4,0%, Steiermark follows with a very strong 3,9%, whereas Burgenland stays with a 0,8%, by far the lowest amount in national comparison, followed by the Hungarian West- Transdanubia region’s 0,6%, which is also the second lowest R&D investment rate in Hungary. R&D capacities in Hungary are heavily concentrated in the Central Hungary region (the capital area), where almost the half of the Hungarian research posts are situated. Number of patent applications (to the EPO) show dramatic differences on the two sides of the border: while in the West- Transdanubia region, the number of applications per million inhabitants in 2009 was 5,72 (being the highest in Hungary, including the Central Hungary region!), it was 40 in Burgenland, 61 in Wien and Niederösterreich and 91 in the Steiermark. The following map shows the patent applications by NUTS 3 regions, available for 2008:

4,0

1,4

0,8

3,9

0,6

2,02

0,0 1,0 2,0 3,0 4,0 5,0

Wien

Niederösterreich

Burgenland

Steiermark

Nyugat-Dunántúl

EU-27

R&D expenditures % of GDP 2009

Source: Eurostat

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Map 6: Number of patent applications (to the EPO), 2008

The relatively good economic performance of the Hungarian border area is very fragile. The results are based rather on the relative low labour costs then the good innovation performance of the area which has very low capacities in research and development (R&D) and even this low capacity is unequally distributed. Total expenditure on R&D is the relatively high in Győr-Moson-Sopron (cca. 35,5 MEUR) and remarkably low in Vas (cca 7,0 MEUR) and Zala (3,6 MEUR!) counties (CSO, Hungary, 2010). The same tendency is also shown by the number of researchers (CSO, 2012): while in Győr-Moson-Sopron the number of active research personnel was 1 476, his figure in Vas was 407 and as low as 230 in Zala.

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The expenses for research and development are however also unevenly distributed on the Austrian side: besides the two cities of outstanding R&D performance (Wien and Graz), especially remarkable is the low difference between the values of Burgenland and the West-Transdanubia region, in spite of the considerable differences at the national level. Over the last decade the region has started to plug the gaps in regional innovation systems. Centres for innovation and applied research on the Austrian side have been established in Eisenstadt, Güssing, Jennersdorf, and Wiener Neustadt and on the Hungarian side in Győr, Sopron and Szombathely. According to the Lisbon strategy, co-operation between the universities and industry on R&D is evolving. Economic clusters also play an important role In the knowledge transfer between R&D, innovation and technology centres and the industries. According to the Innovation Union Innovation Scoreboard, Austria is classified under the “Innovation Follower” group whereas Hungary is in the group “Moderate Innovator”. In regional terms (Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2012) the Hungarian counties are in the group of “Modest Innovators” which is the lowest-ranked category (although in the sub-group with “high” marks), whereas Wien, Burgenland and Niederösterreich belong to the best performing group (Innovation Leaders) and Steiermark is an Innovation Follower (second-best group) in the sub-group marked “high”.

1.2.3.1 Conclusions Education, research and development will play a stronger role in cross border co-operation. In general a good and diverse supply of education and research & development exists within the whole region, with a strong dominance of Wien, relatively good performance of Győr in Hungarian comparison and some gaps in the southern part, that might be filled in by the extension of the programme area to Graz. The established co-operations will be continued and extended both among the educational institutions as well as the industry and R&D sectors. Thematic focus of cooperation on R&D in the area is concentrated on: mechatronics, nature management, renewable primary products, logistics, eco-mobility and sustainable tourism. Beside the R&D activity, higher education must be linked to the needs of the key economic branches and clusters. Networking will be used as a tool to bridge the innovation gap between Austria and Hungary, by strengthening the cooperation of innovation poles of Wien and Graz with Hungarian institutions and universities. Special emphasis is placed on strengthening links of the southern parts of the region - Zalaegerszeg and Szombathely-based universities and businesses with the innovation pole Graz. This cooperation is essential for these towns, as they lack critical size both in terms of economy and inhabitants necessary for becoming attractive agglomerations separately.

1.2.4 ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

1.2.4.1 Environment/Protected areas The region is formed by a broad variety of different landscapes with:

• the Wiener Becken and its edges, e.g. in the West the hilly and mountainous zones of the Wienerwald and in the East the semi-alpine zones of the Alps - including the eastern foothills of the Central Alps, e.g. the Leitha Mountains (up to 484 m), the Rosalien and Sopron mountains (up to 606 m) as well as the Landseer and Kőszeg Mountains

• the Alps with the Schneeberg (Klosterwappen, 2.076 m) as the highest point of the region • Alpokalja - the ‘fingers’ of the Alps reaching Hungary. • the hilly lands in Oststeiermark and the Südburgenland and the basin of Graz • the Danube and its alluvial forests • the lowlands of the Nordburgenland (the flat of Parndorf, Seewinkel) and the basin of

Oberpullendorf which opens to the Hungarian Small Plain (Kisalföld) • the Kisalföld between Alps, Carpathians and Bakony • the hilly lands of the Zala and Vas regions;

The region with the Lake Neusiedl and Lake Balaton, the largest lake of central Europe, offers two famous steppe lakes with a rich natural and cultural heritage.

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The great variety of ecosystems and the rich natural heritage is responsible for a number of nature parks and national parks (NP) such as the NP and world heritage site Neusiedler See/Fertő, sensitive areas, Natura 2000 and protected areas. See the following map for the Natura 2000 Habitats Directive and Bird directive areas in the region.

Map 7: Natura 2000 network

Together with the richness of cultural heritage and the geologic conditions for spas on both sides of the border the region offers favourable conditions for environmental forms of sustainable tourism. Most of the nature and landscape conservation areas are located at a distance from the main settlement and development areas. A key measure in the field of cross-border nature conservation was the establishment of the national parks Neusiedler See-Seewinkel and Fertő-Hanság, which encompasses the South-Eastern shore of Neusiedler See/Fertő, more than half of the lake itself and the adjacent reeds and meadows. Central Europe’s only steppe-lake national park covers an area of about 20.000 hectares, 10.000 of them situated in Burgenland. In an effort to protect and develop cross-border nature parks, two nature reserves – Geschriebenstein-Írottkő and Raab-Őrseg-Goričko – were established. In 1993 the national park Neusiedler See-Seewinkel gained international reputation as an IUCN Category II preserve. Finally in 2001 the cross-border region Neusiedler See/ Fertő were accepted as a cross-border UNESCO World Heritage Site. A joint management plan has been developed to foster the sustainable development of the sensitive area. It includes the general vision, short and medium term objectives and an action plan for landscape protection, protection of cultural assets,

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sustainable agriculture, especially wine culture, townscape and village protection, a new building culture, sustainable transport, education and public awareness. It was established within a regional participation process and approved by the regional and national authorities as well as the UNESCO in 2003/2004. The ongoing project PaNaNet supports the networking of nature parks in Burgenland and Western Pannonia and shall foster environmental tourism in the regions.

1.2.4.2 Energy The following diagram shows the gross final energy consumption by energy sources in 2010:

Figure 4: Gross final energy consumption by energy sources in 2010

Renewable Energy has become a main focus of Austrian climate policy within the last years. If measured on the entire end use consumption, Austria (in 2011) provided for nearly 30% of its total energy needs with renewable energy sources. It ranks high in renewable energy production mainly due to its high share in hydropower, wind power and biomass and was among the four EU countries with the highest share of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption. By sector, this means 65% renewable electricity (mainly out of water and wind power), 46% renewable heat (mainly from biomass and some heat pumps, solar thermal and geothermal units), but only 7% of renewable fuels at the transport sector.2 Burgenland in the electricity sector will be energy self-sufficient within 2013; it is the aim of the federal state to get a 55% share of total energy by renewables by 2020 and total autonomy by 2050. Niederösterreich shall become energy self-sufficient in the sector of electricity by 2015 and a 50% share of renewables regarding total energy by 2020. Whereas several improvements and savings in the sectors of households and the industry show the importance of fostering renewable energy and energy efficiency, the opposite trend in the transport sector will be an important challenge for the next years. In Austria, nearly 100 model regions have been built to foster energy autonomy, most of them funded by the Climate and Energy Fund of the federal government. Climate and Energy Model Regions are key instruments to reach the Austrian Government’s target of becoming energy self-sufficient by 2050. A large network of well-established, interlinked and coordinated model regions is a suitable approach for this target. There is a strong focus of the regions in Niederösterreich and Steiermark.3

2 Source: Statistik Austria, 2012. 3 Source: http://www.klimaundenergiemodellregionen.at

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Lighthouseprojects like the European Center for Renewable Energy Güssing (EEE) with the “Model Güssing” in Burgenland have gained an excellent international reputation in the fields of research and development and project management concerning renewable energy projects. In Hungary, fossil fuels and nuclear energy play a dominant role in the energy sector. Though renewable energies saw significant growth during the last years, they have still only achieved about 8% of the gross final energy consumption. West- Transdanubia has good potential regarding wind power, geothermal energy and agricultural biomass. CO2-emissions use per capita in Austria is higher (8.306 kg/cap in 2009) compared to 5.101 kg/cap in HU The same trend exists for energy use with Austria consumeing 4.127 kgoe/cap compared to 2.598 kgoe/cap in Hungary. Both countries import about 60% of their energy needs. The energy intensity is higher in Hungary.4 The cross-border Energy Strategy PANnonia – ESPAN set itself the aim of dealing in multiple ways with the sector of the sustainable development of energy at regional, communal and private level within the bilateral and interregional collaboration of Austrian and Hungarian regions. A long-term objective will be the effort aimed at a full independence from imported (namely fossil) energies.

1.2.4.3 Conclusions The high ecological awareness in Austria and the increasing interest in Hungary will continue to play an important role for cross-border cooperation in the fields of environment protection and renewable energy. Know-how-transfer and institutional cooperation will be facilitated through existing networks in those topics. While Austria has more experience in the fields of environmental protection and renewable energy, Hungary has enormous agricultural potential. Both countries have experience in common nature management.

1.2.5 INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY The condition of international and intraregional transport networks varies widely within the region. The northern part (Wien-Győr) is easily accessible by all means of transport. The southern part faces comparative disadvantages in terms of accessibility. The improvement of connections is a key factor to foster economic coherence. This should be accompanied by an increasing concentration on sustainable forms of mobility.

1.2.5.1 Road Transport The northern area (Wien, Wiener Umland Südteil, Nordburgenland and Győr region) has a dense high-grade road network (Austria: A2, A3, A4, A6, S1, S4, S31; Hungary: M1, M15. Austria has one of the densest motorway systems in the EU, serving also rural areas. There are distinctive regional disparities regarding motorization in the region: Wien (394 cars/1.000 inhabitants)5, having had the highest motorization in Austria in the 1970s, today due to an excellent public transport has the lowest, while Burgenland (599), Niederösterreich (592) and Steiermark (550) are among the highest motorized regions in Austria and the EU. The motorization in Hungary is significantly below the Austrian and EU average, but the counties Zala (314), Vas (318) and Győr-Moson-Sopron (328) are highly motorized when compared to other Hungarian regions. On the Hungarian side the traffic has increased significantly due to the emergence of the new north-south (Baltic-Adriatic) corridor. This new corridor, together with the growing road capacity problems emphasizes the importance to develop the north-south axis within the West Pannon Region (M9). The two northern branches of this axis, the first one on the Bratislava-Csorna-Szombathely line and the other one through Wien-Sopron-Bük-Szombathely are meeting at Szombathely; the first links the Baltic and Adriatic area, while the second one heading via Zalaegerszeg and Nagykanizsa toward Zagreb acts as a new nodal and distribution point towards the Balkans.

4 Source: Eurostat; Actuality: 2009 5 Source: Statistik Austria, 2011; Hungarian Statistical Office, 2011.

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The M7 motorway in the southern part of the Hungarian project region, finished in the last years, is an important link between Hungary - Croatia and helped begin to close a gap, that is still visible between the M4 and M7 motorways. Further work is needed to connect the remaining large parts of the Hungarian project region with no link to the high rank road system. Several improvements in the road network in Western Hungary are planned within the next years. Another focus is the reactivation of road connections for the local border traffic. Expansion projects concerning the programme area (road transport until 20306):

• S7 A2-Hungarian border: new construction • M8 Austrian border-Vasvár: new construction • M86 Mosonmagyaróvár:-Szombathely: new construction • M9 Szombathely-Vasvár-Zalaegerszeg: new construction • I/86 Szombathely-Körmend: upgrading • M85 Csorna-Kapuvár: new construction • M85 Csorna-Győr: new construction • M85/M84 Kapuvár-Sopron-Austrian border: new construction • A3 Eisenstadt-Hungarian border: new construction • S31 Operpullendorf-Hungarian border: new construction • M87 Szombathely-Kőszeg-Hungarian border: new construction • I/8: Körmend-Austrian border: upgrading • M9 Nagycenk-Nemesbőd: new construction

6 Source: INAT: Strategic Framework for the Transport and Infrastructure Development in the centrope region as approved by the Political Board of centrope Brno 21.6.2012

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Map 8: Transport Infrastructure and Vision 2030: Roads

1.2.5.2 Railway Transport/Public Transport System In the last years several improvements to the rail system upgraded routes of regional and interregional importance. To improve the accessibility of Eisenstadt by rail, the line Neusiedl-Wulkaprodersdorf completed an electrification project in 2009. To improve the north-south-axis, electrification and modernization of the railway line between Sopron, Szombathely and Szentgotthárd has been finished, bringing the mid-part of Western Transdanubia closer to the agglomeration of Wien. Around the Neusiedler See/Fertő tó and in other protected or sensitive areas, the concept of integrated transport rail-bus-bike facilitates accessibility to the region via sustainable transport. EuRegio trains and tickets have become a great success in the last years, connecting several towns across the borders. While in Austria several regional railways were closed in the last years, leaving especially large parts of the Mittelburgenland and Südburgenland with no rail link, Hungary still has a dense railway network. Most of the lines in Western Transdanubia are now operated by GYSEV and were upgraded in the last years. In Austria a bus network of variable quality and micro systems (e.g. municipal busses) supplement the rail network. In Hungary nearly every community is accessible by public buses. Beside the main links, public transport is still not able to compete with individual transit when it comes to travel times.

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Figure 5: Competitiveness car transport-public transport on selected routes

There are few cross-border public transport links beside the railway lines:

• railway Wien-Győr-Budapest • railway Wien-Ebenfurth-Sopron • railway Wiener Neustadt-Mattersburg-Sopron-Deutschkreutz • railway Neusiedl am See-Pamhagen-Fertőszentmiklós • railway Graz-Szentgotthárd-Körmend-Szombathely • bus link Wien-Győr-Budapest • bus link Neckenmarkt-Oberpullendorf-Szombathely-Bük (only 4 buses a year per direction!) • bus link Wien-Oberwart-Szombathely-Bük-Sárvár (only 1-2 buses a day per direction!)

Mobility management on all levels (region, communities, companies) has become a focus of transport policy in Austria within the last years. The Mobilitätszentrale Burgenland was one of the pioneers in Austria in that field, dealing with multimodal transport issues. Lighthouse projects like GREMO Pannonia were essential to foster sustainable transportation across the borders. One of the achievements of this project was the founding of the first mobility center in Hungary, located in Sopron.

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Multimodal information systems/route planners like www.anachb.at or http://www.utvonalterv.hu/ are trendsetting tools, but they currently lack a cross-border perspective. A pilot project was started in the context of GREMO Pannonia to address this issue.7 Expansion projects concerning the programme area (rail transport until 20308):

• Vienna-Budapest: high-speed rail • Rajka-Hegyeshalom: upgrading • Vienna-Ebenfurth-Wiener Neustadt (Pottendorfer Linie): upgrading • Gloggnitz-Mürzzuschlag (Semmering Basistunnel): new construction • Wiener Neustadt-Gloggnitz: upgrading • Wiener Neustadt-Sopron: electrification • loop line Ebenfurth: new construction • loop line Eisenstadt-Müllendorf: new construdtion • Neusiedl-Parndorf-Kittsee: extented connection possibility • Körmend-Zalalövő: upgrading • Hegyeshalom-Csorna-Szombathely: electrification • Szombathely-Zalaszentiván: electrification • Szombathely-Kőszeg: extension towards the city centre of Kőszeg • Győr-Sopron: double-track-upgrading • Győr – Pér – Kisbér: new railway line • Győr – Pápa – Celldömölk – Porpác: upgrading • A current vision is the rebuilding/upgrading of the railway line Oberwart-Szombathely to

ensure the linkage of the Südburgenland to the north-south railway axis on the Hungarian side which is part of the SETA9 corridor Adriatic sea-Baltic sea.

7 Source: http://efa.vor.at/gremo/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=de 8 Source: INAT: Strategic Framework for the Transport and Infrastructure Development in the centrope region as approved by the Political Board of centrope, Brno 21.6.2012 9 South East Transport Axis

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Map 9: Transport Infrastructure and Vision 2030: Railways

1.2.5.3 Other Means of Transport The Danube’s potential in the intermodal transport flows has been improved considerably. In the cross-border region, the port of Wien with a total volume of 1,7 Mio. tons10 has already established its role as an international harbour, while the doubling of the Győr-Gönyű port’s capacity and the railway connection to the Wien-Budapest line should contribute to the increased potential. The Győr port has a total volume of ca. 280.000 tons.11 Due to the growing importance of international transport links, the airports within the region are gaining more relevance. The Wien International Airport (VIE) has become increasingly important for the cross-border region as a whole due to continuous efforts to develop its position as an international hub especially for Eastern Europe. Aside from the airport in Bratislava for the northern parts of the region, important gateways for the southern part of the region are the regional airports with passenger traffic in Graz and Sármellék (Hévíz-Balaton Airport). The establishment of a bicycle network and building cross-border connection points increases the tourist attractiveness of the region. The inter-regional cycling network has been improved over the last decade. The network on the Hungarian side still needs to be improved and important Cross-

10 Source: http://www.danubeports.info, 2007 11 Source: http://www.danubeports.info, 2010

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border links between the two sides of the border are also missing. 12Further efforts have to be dedicated to organise common services and marketing of this network.

1.2.5.4 Telecommunications and Public Utilities The number of households with broadband internet accessibility has increased by 32% from 53% to 69% from 2008 to 2011 in the region. The number of private internet connections has increased by 34% in West Transdanubia which had a comparatively low internet connectivity of 40% in 2008 (Austrian regions had about 60%). The usage of internet at least one time a week has only increased by 14% in the last four years13. A detailed analysis of the broadband internet accessibility from 2008 to 2011 showed that the Hungarian region Western Transdanubia increased the amount of people with access by 52%. The Eastern regions in Austria improved by 30% (Burgenland: +18%, Niederösterreich: +42%, Wien: +20%, Steiermark: +28%) from 57% to 74%. However West- Transdanubia had only 40% access in 200814 and managed to move that up to 64% in 2011. Hungary rapidly increased its broadband internet quality in the last years. The average speed of connection is about 5.1Mbit/s, which is in the top 10 in Europe15. In 2011 in West- Transdanubia, about 66% households used private broadband internet (increase by 34.7%) and 65% use it at least one time a week, which increased by 14% compared with 2008) . In the Austrian regions the usage of internet (at least one day a week) is about 75%, which is an increase by 12%. About 70% of the households have a private broadband internet connection in the Austrian regions. Niederösterreich had the strongest increase by 17% whereas the other regions had an average value about 5%. About 74% of the Austrians use the internet more than one day a week which is an increase of 13.5% from 2008 to 201116. In Austria the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology plans to implement a high speed broadband internet accessibility initiative all over the country to achieve connections about 100Mbit/second. According to the Wifo about 40.000 jobs could be generated per 1 billion Euros invested in such a project. The project costs are estimated at 5 billion Euros17. The Austrian regions have an overall good water supply and waste water management as well as one of the most reliable recycling systems in the EU. Due to the distinct awareness of the people for environmental issues the waste separation is relatively widespread. Hungarian regions have started from another level, but have improved the water services, the waste water management and the recycling systems during the last years with many EU-funded projects. Improving the situation is a high Hungarian government priority.

1.2.5.5 Conclusions The improvement of connections is a key factor to foster economic coherence. Multimodal transport nodes and links to the high-ranking transport network will be necessary for the competitiveness of the regions. This will be accompanied by an increasing concentration on eco-mobility in the future. With reduced travel times along the south-north axis Szentgotthárd-Szombathely-Sopron (which is also part of the TEN-T-network), this could become an attractive rail link to the Wien region not only for Hungary but also for the Südburgenland and Mittelburgenland regions. Due to continuing high costs for commuting alternatives to the individual car, traffic remains an important issue within the region. Further mobility management and awareness raising for sustainable transport as “soft measures” will be challenges both in Austria and Hungary. Especially in Hungary it is important to maintain the public transport network, which is still very close-knit.

12 Source: Cross-border Masterplan Bike Traffic Burgenland –Westungarn 2009/10, Quality Check, Eisenstadt 2010 13 Source: Eurostat 2011 14 Source: Eurostat 2011 15 Source: Diplomacy & Trade Journal Online 12.8.2011 16 Source: Eurostat 2011 17 Source: Die Presse Onlinearchiv 27.11.2012

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Still, border crossings between neighbouring settlements are lacking or of bad road-quality, which hinders local traffic and causes unnecessary road traffic and congestion on more developed trunk roads. Therefore the upgrading and rebuilding of small scale connections is furthermore necessary. Broadband internet initiatives for the rural areas could create job opportunities outside of the metropolitan areas.

1.2.6 TOURISM AND LEISURE Tourism plays an important role in the region. The border region is rich in natural (e.g. hills, lakes, rivers, landscape and great variety of ecosystems, thermal water and spas) resources and common cultural heritage (e.g. castles, music, festivals). These attractions and their combination generate tourism, especially nature tourism which has very good occupancy rates e.g. in the Neusiedler See / Fertö to area. Several joint cross-border actions, mainly based on national & nature parks and cultural heritage, have been executed in order to leverage those strengths over the last 15 years. The region offers an enormous density of thermal spas as one of the distinctive features of its tourism offer. The larger centres offer congress facilities and a great variety of cultural sights. Castles, gardens, festivals, cycling and sporting complete the tourist attractions. In the region tourist infrastructure as well as tourist offers are rather heterogeneously developed, although considerable development has taken place in the past 10 years. Being a word-calls destination, Wien plays an outstanding role in the tourism of the region as well. In regional comparison it accounts for 20% of the bed-places offered by the border region and almost one fourth of the places on the Austrian side. The city is also one of Europe’s most important congress locations. From the total of 33,8 million overnight stays within the border region in 2010, 11,4 million were reported from Wien, which is more than 2,5 times more than the nights reported on the Hungarian side of the border region. Also, apart from Wien, the tourism is more important in terms of visitor numbers, on the Austrian side: in terms of bed-places the Hungarian counties account for 21% of the total regional offer (without Wien), whereas in terms of overnight stays the Austrian region’s share (excluding Wien) is 80%.

Table 8: Number of bed places and overnight stays total and per 1000 inhabitants, 2011

There are several common points of interest in tourism: besides the significant impulses expected from the further development of a common thermal spa network and the national and nature parks in the area (Neusiedler See-Fertő for the regions of Nordburgenland and Győr-Moson-Sopron County, Geschriebenstein-Írottkő Nature Park in middle, and Raab-Őrseg-Goričko Nature Park in the south),

bed-places

bed places per 1000

inhabitants

overnight stays

overnight stays pro 1.000

inhabitantsMittelburgenland 2.274 59,6 289.098 7.705Nordburgenland 18.166 118,5 1.587.491 10.605Südburgenland 7.959 80,2 1.055.445 10.805Niederösterreich-Süd 13.710 54,2 1.266.828 5.006Wiener Umland/Südteil 11.357 36,7 1.638.177 5.134Wien 57.148 34,6 11.400.046 6.651Graz 10.882 26,6 1.371.367 3.394Oststeiermark 22.117 82,4 2.941.518 11.017Győr-Moson-Sopron 11.949 25,7 1.071.722 2.382Vas 13.146 54,1 1.363.503 5.291Zala 25.965 80,5 2.120.317 7.387Wien 57.148 34,6 11.400.046 6.651Niederösterreich 66.540 40,2 6.021.715 3.736Burgenland 28.399 97,6 2.607.258 9.152Steiermark 95.170 80,2 9.286.510 7.671Nyugat-Dunántúl 51.060 48,9 4.351.246 4.374Source: Eurostat, NSO in Hungary, Austria

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the rich variety of ecosystems and the existence of cultural heritage sites also offers a huge further potential for nature tourism in the vicinity of the metropolitan areas. The following topics are important for the future of tourism in the region: spa & wellness, health, active and nature tourism (hills, rivers, lakes, nature- & national parks), culture and wine. Conference tourism is concentrated mainly in Wien. Sopron has good potential in this field of tourism as well, although on a much smaller scale. The southern region (Südburgenland, Zala County) is concentrating on expanding environmentally and socially compatible forms of tourism. On the Hungarian side, the expansion of the spa-related tourism has been the clear trend of the past 5-10 years that has had a positive impact on the growth of all three Hungarian counties and gave rise of the quick expansion of some new resorts alongside the traditional places such as Héviz, Sárvár, Bük or Zalakaros. Additionally, the eastern part of Zala has a shoreline of Lake Balaton and these factors contribute to Zala county having the biggest share of the tourism industry, in terms of the sector’s contribution to the GDP, in Hungary. Graz offers excellent potential for nature-related tourism activities and also provides a very strong offer in cultural tourism (Tourism Capital of Europe in 2003, UNESCO heritage sites, as Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg and the recent awarding of UNESCO’s “City of Design”).

1.2.6.1 Conclusions The development potential of tourism rests upon the spas, rich natural resources and cultural heritages in the region, as well as having well developed tourism services. Continuous innovation, creative coordinated marketing activities and well developed tourism services are necessary to keep up with new trends (e.g. health awareness lifestyle, widespread use of IT solutions).

1.2.7 SOCIAL SERVICES AND HEALTH CARE Healthcare expenditure data show great differences between the neighbouring countries: in Austria total (private and public) spending per inhabitant reaches EUR 3 500 PPS18 (over 10% of the GDP), in Hungary the expenditure is more moderate: it slightly exceeds EUR 1000 PPS and its share of the GDP is just above 7% (based on Eurostat, 2009 data).

Table 9: Health infrastructure

According to Eurostat data in 2010, the number of hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants is somewhat higher in Austria (763) than in Hungary (718). In Hungary, the restructuring process currently on-going in the health care sector may have further reducing effect on this figure. The restricting will see medical activity in the smaller hospitals (e.g Kapuvár, Celldömölk, Sárvár) reduced and the hospitals in the large centres (Győr, Szombathely, Zalaegerszeg, Sopron) will be developed in order to provide higher level medical care. There are smaller medical institutions in Hévíz, Sárvár and Balf which provide rheumathology therapy based on the medical effects of the thermal water. The Austrian regions have a dense network of health care institutions, and nearly every region is well served by hospital locations. Spas and medical baths are located in Niederösterreich, 18 Purchasing power standards: artificial currency unit; Theoretically, one PPS can buy the same amount of goods and services in each country.

Hospital beds per 100 000

inhabitants, 2010

Physicians or doctors per 100 000

inhabitants, 2010Wien 791 664Niederösterreich 708 429Burgenland 567 353Steiermark 886 463Nyugat-Dunántúl 708 215Austria 763 478Hungary 718 287Source: Eurostat

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Burgenland and Steiermark. Regarding the number of physicians the HU programme region is even much below the comparatively low HU average.

Map 10: Hospital Locations

The proportion of each of the age groups is similar in all regions, but the number of the elderly people (above 65) has increased in all regions from 2005 to 2011, whereas the age group 0-14 decreased in all regions. This means that the demand for the health and social services will grow in the future. The demographic change will be one of the main challenges of the regions during the next years.

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Figure 6: Age groups 2005

Figure 7: Age Groups 2011

14% 15% 14% 16% 16% 15% 15% 17% 15% 15% 14% 16%

65% 67% 67% 67% 68% 70% 70% 67% 70% 69% 69% 67%

21% 18% 19% 17% 16% 15% 16% 17% 15% 16% 16% 17%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Mitt

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Nor

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and

Süd

burg

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Nie

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Wie

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EU

-27

Age groups, 20050-14 15-64 65+

Source: EurostatSource: Eurostat

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1.2.7.1 Conclusions To secure the high level of health and social services in the region, stronger cooperation and specialization of the facilities will be necessary, especially regarding the numerous hospitals in the programme area. The demographic change will be one of the main challenges of the regions during the next years. Therefore initiatives and strategies are necessary also in a cross-border perspective.

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1.3 SWOT ANALYSIS

01 Strengthening Research, Technological Development and Innovation

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Strong universities, especially Wien and Graz

Weak capacities in high education and research & development in the south

Innovative branches (strong growth in Wien/Graz, emerging in Győr)

Lack of Cross border cooperation regarding universities and enterprises

Similar interests in AT/HU regarding the sectors: wood, energy, mechatronic, automotive, food

Southern part (except Graz) is weak in innovation (few persons are employed in R&D)

Existing university cooperation in the field of agriculture (poultry farming)

Financing the administrative costs of research institutions

High density of clusters (38) No harmonized R&D strategies No cross-border cooperation networks

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Graz stimulates southern program area (Zala)

Uncoordinated development of strategy in research & development

Southern part of the region could be connected more to the centers, clusters and research institutions

High administrative burdens

Opportunities for R&D in Győr as a possible centre

Power imbalance between partners

Improve cooperation between companies & research

Key Message: • improve the linkage between clusters, universities and R&D institutions • distribute the innovation effects to the whole region • improve research and innovation infrastructure

02 Enhancing access to and use and quality of information and communication technologies (ICT)

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

High share of broadband access in the centers

Different levels of access to ICT infrastructure in rural areas

E-government: well developed nationally (AT)

Low internet literacy

Public sector supplies access to broadband internet

E-gov: local level rather weak

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Broadband internet for development of companies / enterprises in rural areas

E-government and internet supplies developed on/for national levels

Content development Digital divide Improvement of e-government Development of common marketing platforms in tourism and for regional products

Common/Further development of new application of e-government: e-health, e-learning, e-business

Key Message: • Distribute best practice examples • Important task on national level

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03 Enhancing the Competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

High share of SME: SME's as stabilizing factor of the regional economic system (crises-proof)

Insufficient involvement of SME's in research and development activities and insufficient access of SMEs to results of R&D

Supporting infrastructure for SME's HU: companies are dependent on international markets

Cross border cooperation of enterprises Little administrative experience with SME-Support in CBC-Programmes

Ineffective support system in Hungary for new companies

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Highly qualified labour force Mobility of labour force as threat for Hungary Mobility of labour force as opportunity for Austria

Highly qualified people leave peripheral regions

Develop infrastructure in the neighbour countries

Demographic change: shortage of labour force

Ageing people as a resource Define a common market for cross border products and services

Increase the interest in local and traditional products

Key Message: • Define a common, international market for cross border products and services • Develop joint market innovations • Respect the European competition law • Mobility of labour force as an advantage for Austria, but disadvantage for Hungary

04 Supporting the Shift towards a Low-Carbon Economy in all Sectors

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Favourable conditions for production of renewable energy - wind, biomass, geothermal energy

Transport is 1/3 of energy consumption - transport sector is not yet green, transport is not identified as an energy issue by the regions

Energy Model Regions in AT Air pollution in some parts of the region Vienna as a pioneer in the field of Smart Cities

HU: subsidy system is not working well

AT: lot of companies working and researching renewable energy

Legal conditions in HU are weak for implementing renewable energy

Existing cross border energy strategy (ESPAN)

HU: slow adaption process concerning the use of energy efficient technologies

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Cooperation in the field of energy model regions (smart city/smart region approach)

Power grid/access points not sufficient for larger amounts of renewable energy

Potential for green jobs Improvement of energy efficiency Stronger political support in HU Increase the share of renewable energy production and use

Key Message: • Smart city and smart region approach • Increasing share of renewable energy supports economic development of regions

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05

Promoting Climate Change Adaption, Risk Prevention and Management

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Well developed risk management system (danube)

Weak cross border rescue services / system

Good cooperation between the fire brigade AT-HU, common education centre regarding rescue/ emergency

Different institutional structures

Great number of natural reserves that stabilize the local climate

Decreased accessibility to rescue services in the rural parts of the programme region

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Common data, GIS, use of ICT (information and communication technology)

Parts of the border region are affected by floods and other risks of natural disasters

Key Messages: • Strengthen the current rescue service situation • Support the nature reserves that stabilize the local climate and reduce vulnerability

towards natural hazards • Reduction of natural risks by cooperation in the fields of protective water management and

freshwater ecology (also regarding the EU Flood Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive)

06 Protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

High share of natural protection areas and existing networks

Waste water treatment facilities are insufficient especially in small Hungarian villages

Rich cultural and natural heritage Low share of ecological re-use Research and development institutions in Austrian part

Disparities in technological levels (low-carbon, energy efficiency…)

Common management structures (natural protection)

High share of eco-farms in AT

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

High ecological awareness in Austria and increasing in HU

Decreasing number of farms (landscape cultivation)

Tourism (nature, wellness, wine), Renewable energy, energy efficiency

Different legislative and institutional framework of environment protection

All kind of recycling (recycling by handicapped people)

Increasing land use for settlements and settlement related infrastructure

Increasing awareness and market for eco-farms / eco products in HU

Parts of the border region are affected by floods and other risks of natural disasters

A lot of cooperating institutions strongly integrated groundwater bodies and border-crossing watercourses

Key Message: • Develop model regions for sustainable tourism and the common utilization of cultural

natural heritage • Support sustainable land use activities to reduce urban sprawl, increasing land use for

settlements where soil quality is not conducive to other forms of utilization • Monitoring and cooperation in the field of water management, enhancement of waste

water treatment (also regarding the EU Flood Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive)

• Improving and preserving of high quality of protection and sustainable utilisation of the nature, natural resources and landscape

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07 Promoting Sustainable Transport and Removing Bottlenecks in Key Network Infrastructures

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Pilot projects regarding cross border mobility (GREMO Pannonia and VKM)

Weak accessibility of the southern part of the regions (both countries), centres cannot be accessed easily

Railway service improved on some lines Weak cross border public transport links especially in the South

Northern areas: well developed public transport system

Regional railway lines closed in Austria

Public transport network (railway/buses) still rather close-knit in Hungary

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Consensus and preliminary work for the Centrope region (CC INAT) as a basis for cross-border activities

Structure of settlements / increase of urban sprawl

Multimodal transport nodes Reduction of public transport Increase number of border crossings Develop new technologies

Mobility management upgrading and rebuilding of small scale

connections

Key Message: • Shift of modal split to environmental friendly means of transport • Better coordination of planning in the field of transport and mobility • Further development of integrated cross border transport supply

08 Promoting Employment and Supporting Labour Mobility

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Well educated labour force on both sides of the border

Seasonal imbalance (tourism), seasonal character of significant part of economic activities in the region (e.g. construction, agriculture, tourism)

High level of labour productivity Brain-drain to the centers and from HU to AT Availability of cross border labour market information by existing projects

High dependency from economic centers (commuting costs increase)

Language barrier (in Austria, increasing in HU)

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

No more administrative barriers for labour mobility

Demographic change with negative influence on labour force

Existing labour market institutions and exchange platforms and activities

Increasing unemployment in Hungary (economic structure is not crisis resistant) and Austria, especially youth unemployment (HU: >20%, Austria: >11%)

shortage of skilled workers in certain sectors Key Messages:

• Intensify institutional cooperation in the field of the labour market institutions • Harmonize conditions concerning labour market and improving mobility

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Promoting Social Inclusion and Combating Poverty

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Good standard of social and health services Legal and institutional framework not harmonized

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Potential for new employment opportunities in the health and social care system

Ageing population and (selective) emigration

Ageing population as an opportunity: wellness & spa

Restructuring of the HU health care system may have further reducing effect on the infrastructure

Key Message:

• Intensify the cooperation of health and social care institutions • Improve the cooperation between health and social care institutions with education and

research & development

10 Education, Qualification and Life-Long Learning

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Relatively well and highly developed educational system

Low flexibility of the education system and insufficient reflection of needs of labour market

Universities – well-established basis Language barrier (in Austria, increasing in HU) AT: broad network for LLL (life-long learning)

Settlement structure offers limited framework for the educational infrastructure

Cross border cooperation in education Differing competencies Experience of cooperation e.g. master course renewable energy

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Network of institution for LLL not working yet (HU)

Decreased accessibility to education in peripheral regions due to demographic change and closure of facilities

Best practise projects Brain-drain of well-educated and qualified persons

Tri-lingual education up from the kindergartens

Key Message: • Harmonize/adapt the educational systems (common degrees) • Improve the coherence of the education with the needs of the regional labour market

(include elderly people – lifelong learning!) • Develop new forms of education cooperation/markets: e.g.: learning centres, new

cooperation between schools and enterprises

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11 Enhancing Institutional Capacity and an Efficient Public Administration

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Well established regional management structures

Different administration system as well as spatial planning system

Knowledge and skills in public sector Language barrier (in Austria, increasing in HU) Experience of local and regional institutions regarding cross border cooperation in the fields of nature protection, mobility management and labour market

Insufficient knowledge of the political system and the institutional specifics of the neighbouring regions

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Centropemap and more common databasesin cooperation with spatial development

Key Message: • Support institutional cooperation and capacity building within the field of public

administration and NGO’s • Strengthen activities of civil society • Support “people to people” cooperation

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List of Figures Figure 1: Employed persons by sector (AT-2009, HU-2011) .................................................. 9 Figure 2: R&D Expenditures % of GDP 2009 ................................................................... 16 Figure 3: Education 2011 ............................................... Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Figure 4: Gross final energy consumption by energy sources in 2010 .................................... 20 Figure 5: Competitiveness car transport-public transport on selected routes .......................... 24 Figure 6: Age Groups 2011 ....................................................................................... 31  List of Maps Map 1 : General Map ................................................................................................ 4 Map 2: Population development 2001-2011 ..................................................................... 6 Map 3: Urban System ............................................................................................... 7 Map 4: GDP per capita (PPS) and Gross value added at basic prices in Mio€/per sector (2009) ....... 7 Map 5: Number of patent applications (to the EPO), 2008 ................................................. 17 Map 6: Universities in the Austrian-Hungarian border-region ..... Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Map 7: Natura 2000 network .................................................................................... 19 Map 8: Transport Infrastructure and Vision 2030: Roads ................................................... 23 Map 9: Transport Infrastructure and Vision 2030: Railways ................................................ 26 Map 10: Hospital Locations ...................................................................................... 30  List of Tables Table 1: Demographic main indicators of the region .......................................................... 5 Table 2: GDP per capita and GVA ................................................................................ 8 Table 3: Clusters in the border region ......................................................................... 11 Table 4: Total employment and employment rates, 2011 .................................................. 12 Table 5: Unemployment rate, 2009 ............................................................................ 12 Table 6: Average labour costs ................................................................................... 13 Table 7: Clusters and universities ..................................... Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Table 8: Number of bed places and overnight stays total and per 1000 inhabitants, 2011 ........... 28 Table 9: Health infrastructure .................................................................................. 29