Verőce, May 14, 2021 – The Croatian SME Development, Innovation and Investment Agency (HAMAG-BICRO) has awarded funding for 12 B Light cross-border cooperation projects, totaling 3.8 million euros, to Croatian and Hungarian entrepreneurs. These selected project proposals were submitted in response to the Hungary-Croatia Cross-Border Cooperation Program, the so-called Blight 4th call. The award ceremony was held at the County Council building in Verőce.
The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Dr. Csaba Demcsák, Ambassador of Hungary. Nataša Tramišak, Minister responsible for Regional Development and EU Funds, delivered a welcome speech: “In addition to financing specific project ideas for the development of technologies, products, and services, and expanding distribution networks, we consider it extremely important that the B Light program stimulates innovation in production and strengthens cross-border partnerships. Due to the extremely successful implementation of cross-border cooperation projects by Croatian partners during the 2014–2020 financial period, the Republic of Croatia will significantly increase the allocation of resources for cross-border cooperation programs with Hungary during the 2021–2027 financial period.
The host, Mr. Igor Andrović, Prefect of Virovitica-Podravina County, welcomed the audience and stated: “Virovitica-Podravina County has been successfully cooperating with its Hungarian neighbors for years. We are particularly pleased with the cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises and craftsmen because the border has never separated us, and it will not, but it unites us and offers new opportunities.”
The decisions on financing the positively evaluated project proposals were presented by Minister Nataša Tramišak, responsible for Regional Development and EU Funds, and Mr. Vjeran Vrbanec, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the HAMAG-BICRO Agency, who stated: “Today, we award 12 promising decisions on financing cross-border cooperation projects worth 3.8 million euros, out of which 267,311 euros will be invested in Virovitica-Podravina County. In the previous three calls, we supported 20 cross-border cooperation projects totaling 6.5 million euros, of which 1.3 million euros are related to Virovitica-Podravina County. These figures represent a significant financial injection for the border area of the two countries.”
The participants were also greeted by Mr. Márton Szűcs, Head of the Joint Secretariat of the INTERREG V-A Hungary-Croatia Cross-Border Cooperation Program, who emphasized that the “Blight” support program is a strategic project, an experimental project aimed at cooperation, joint development activities, and entry into new markets in Hungary and Croatia. He expressed hope that the objectives of small and medium-sized enterprises would be achieved, and successful businesses would continue to cooperate in the future.
B LIGHT (Beneficiary Light Grant Scheme) is a support system that finances cooperation among small and medium-sized enterprises along the Hungary-Croatia border within the framework of the Interreg V-A Cooperation Program Hungary-Croatia 2014-2020.
HAMAG-BICRO, as the leading beneficiary of the B Light program, implements the project in cooperation with regional (county) development agencies in the program area. Cross-border cooperation within the B Light program strengthens entrepreneurial capacities in the program area, enhances the competitiveness of companies, and thus enables their placement in international markets. The total value of the program is 7.5 million euros.