Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO) organized the final conference in Osijek on the completion of the B Light project (Beneficiary Light Grant Scheme), which funded cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in the border region of Hungary – Croatia as part of the Interreg V-A Cooperation Program Hungary – Croatia 2014 – 2020. Through B Light, a total of 31 cooperation projects involving 67 small and medium-sized enterprises from the Croatian and Hungarian sides were supported, receiving a total of 7.45 million euros in grants.
Ivan Anušić
The conference was opened with introductory remarks by Ivan Anušić, the Prefect of Osječko-baranjska County: “Osječko-baranjska County continuously works on strengthening entrepreneurship and crafts in our area through numerous incentive projects and support measures. We welcome the B Light project, which for years has provided the opportunity for cooperation between our companies and those outside the Republic of Croatia, aiming to improve their business operations, introduce new technologies, and open up opportunities for the sale of goods and services in neighboring markets.”
Vjeran Vrbanec
Following that, the participants were addressed by the President of the Management Board of HAMAG-BICRO, Vjeran Vrbanec: “HAMAG-BICRO has recognized B Light as a project of significant potential because it is the only one that enables direct financing of entrepreneurs within the Interreg program. We have taken on the implementation of this pilot project with great enthusiasm, aimed at strengthening the less developed border area, which has thus been given the opportunity to create new business opportunities for the local population. A non-refundable support amounting to 7.45 million euros for the development of projects with a total value of 10.03 million euros was granted to 33 companies from the Croatian side and 34 from the Hungarian side of the border. The greatest value resulting from their cooperation is precisely the realization that through the synergy of different companies, they have managed to produce a new product or service that they would not have been able to produce individually.”
Tamás Molnár
Tamás Molnár, head of department at the Managing Authority of the Croatia-Hungary Cross-Border Cooperation Program from Hungary, emphasized how proud they are that B Light has been recognized as one of the rare development opportunities providing direct support to small and medium-sized enterprises. “In the period 2021-2027, we intend to continue the B Light scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises within the priority of a more competitive border region in the Interreg V-A Program Hungary-Croatia, with a planned financial framework of 13.8 million euros. We believe that small and medium-sized entrepreneurship in the border area will have equal interest in development funds as in the previous period,” Molnár announced.
Stella Arneri
The Director of the Directorate for European Territorial Cooperation at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the European Union, Stella Arneri, emphasized that by creating cross-border partnerships and connections with the entrepreneurial sector of northern neighbors, a specific contribution is made not only to the economic but also to the social cohesion of the entire implementation area of the cooperation program. She also announced: “Considering the positive feedback from the B-light scheme, the continuation of implementing the entrepreneurial scheme is planned within the cross-border cooperation program with Hungary in the financial perspective of 2021–2027.” The progress and results of the project were presented by Mirela Hrastinski, the project manager of B Light from HAMAG-BICRO.
Also present at the conference were Ante-Janko Bobetko, Deputy President of the Management Board of HAMAG-BICRO, Dr. Márton Szűcs, Head of the Joint Secretariat (JS) of the Interreg V-A Cooperation Program Hungary-Croatia, and Mislav Kovač, Chief of the Sector for Coordination of European Territorial Cooperation Programs and Macroregional Strategies at the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds.
Ante-Janko Bobetko, Ivan Anušić, Vjeran Vrbanec
HAMAG-BICRO, as the main beneficiary of the B Light program, implemented the project in collaboration with regional (county) development agencies from the program area. The B Light program on the Croatian side covers Međimurska County, Koprivničko-križevačka County, Virovitičko-podravska County, Osječko-baranjska County, Varaždinska County, Bjelovarsko-bilogorska County, Požeško-slavonska County, and Vukovarsko-srijemska County. On the Hungarian side, the program covers Zala County, Somogy County, and Baranya County. The B Light project runs from February 2017 to December 2022.
On the occasion of the final conference of the project, a video about the cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises from Hungary and Croatia was recorded, which you can watch on the HAMAG-BICRO YouTube channel. We thank all participants in the video for their involvement.