7.1. Coherence with the National Action Programme
The National Action Programme (NAP) defines measures for the period between 2005 and 2008, thus covering both the last years of implementation of National Development Plan I and the first years of implementation of the New Hungary Development Plan. Consequently, in coherence with NAP, the New Hungary Development Plan focuses on the extension of employment, on growth, on strengthening social cohesion and on real convergence. Through the operational programmes, the New Hungary Development Plan contributes to the achievement of the Lisbon objectives through increasing productivity and improving business conditions and working conditions.Upon initiative of the European Commission, Hungary – as the other EU Member States – will prepare a report in September 2006 on the progress of the measures outlined in the National Action Programme. With special regard to the country report of the European Commission concerning the National Lisbon Action Programme, the conclusions of the European Council of 23-24th March, 2006 as well as the triple set of
objectives defined by the Government (balance, reform, development), Hungary has revised the National Lisbon Action Programme of 2005 and identified priorities that can indeed contribute to the growth of the economy and employment, based on national characteristics. The relevant measures of the New Hungary Development Plan will be drafted in consideration of the progress report’s content.
As a consequence, strategies of the New Hungary Development Plan and of the NAP are co-ordinated and the areas of intervention are in correspondence as shown in the figure of Annex 3.
When implementing the New Hungary Development Plan, we intend to compare the progress of implementation and its results with our Lisbon objectives set. In this context, special attention will be paid to the competitiveness of businesses and the level of innovation during the sessions of the Monitoring Committee.
The consistent implementation of the reform measures in the revised National Action Programme on the field of the macro- and micro- economy and on the field of employment, together with the measures of the New Hungary Development Plan will jointly contribute to the successful implementation of the Convergence Programme and on this way to ensure long term employment and growth.
Hungary is convinced that there is a close link between the Lisbon objectives and the European Cohesion Policy that mutually strengthen each other. The European Cohesion Policy is an investment with a high return, which provides help in overcoming the structural obstacle in the
way of development and which can mobilise a considerable growth potential. In addition, it contributes to the widest possible exploitation of opportunities offered by the European regions and the reduction of the territorial disparities.
In light of the national circumstances Hungary set the priorities which contribute most to the national implementation of the Lisbon strategic goals. These priorities are the following:
decreasing the state budget deficit, state reform,
research, technological development and innovation, development of business environment,
environment development, energy policy,
development of the infrastructure and related competition based regulation,
strengthening the active labour market policies,
targeted support for the benefit of disadvantaged groups, support for life-long learning,
improvement of the quality, efficiency and affectivity of education.
On the above base, the New Hungary Development Plan and the National Action Programme are strategically harmonized, the intervention areas are corresponding. (Details are found in Annex 3.) The programmes of the New Hungary Development Plan have been defined in accordance with the priorities of the Revised National Lisbon Action Programme (see table in Annex 3.)
7.2. Compliance with the Community Strategic Guidelines
In the section outlining the strategy, we have described connections with Community Strategic Guidelines (CSG) concerning cohesion. The summary of these connections on the level of priorities can be found in the following table.Table 12. Correspondence of the priorities with the CSG guidelines
CSG guidelines Priorities
Guideline 1: Making Europe and its regions more attractive places in which to invest and work
• Environment and energy development
• Transport development Guideline 2: Improving knowledge and
innovation for growth • Economic development Guideline 3: More and better jobs
• Social renewal • State reform
Annex 4 includes a more detailed presentation of the correspondences between the intervention groups of the New Hungary Development Plan and the Community Strategic Guidelines.
7.3. Compliance an coordination with the New Hungary Rural
Development Strategic Plan and the National Strategic Plan for
Fisheries sector
In compliance with the already mentioned national concepts, the New Hungary Rural Development Strategic Plan (NHRDSP) and the New Hungary Rural Development Program (NHRDP), co-ordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will be prepared by building on the directives defined in the Community Strategic Guidelines and on the provisions of the Regulation 1698/2005/EC on the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and of the Council Decision 2006/144/EC on the Strategic Guidelines and the Council Regulation (EC) No 1198/2006 on the European Fisheries Fund..
Furthermore according to the provisions laid down in the Council Regulation 1083/2006/EC, Art. 27. 4(g) we are introducing below the coordination mechanism followed during the planning process and planned during the implementation.
7.3.1. Principles of planning coherence
Hungary is characterised as a rural country, most of the territory of the country is identified as rural under different international classifications. These areas often share particular social and economic problems, therefore coordinated efforts need to be taken to diversify rural economies, and to improve the quality of life in rural areas in order to increase territorial and social cohesion in Hungary.
Under the framework of the New Hungary Development Plan, the New Hungary Rural Development Strategic Plan and the National Strategic Plan for Fisheries (NSPF)several EU Funds (namely the Structural Funds, Cohesion Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the European Fisheries Fund) intervene in rural areas, jointly implementing national development policy objectives. Therefore coordination of activities is vital in order to meet the defined objectives and to ensure synergic effects between the actions.
Common development objectives include reduction of regional differences and strengthening social cohesion through the extension of rural employment, the diversification of economic activities and the development of local communities and services.
In order to ensure synergies between the common structural, employment and rural development policies and coordination between the different Funds the main principles that - in order to maximize the impact of the strategies - shall guide the implementation are the following:
• ensuring complementarity between the strategies, • ensuring synergies between the different actions, • avoiding double funding of activities.
The above principles will be applied when defining the detailed demarcation lines. These will be presented in the respective programmes, following a thematic approach.
7.3.2. Co-ordination during implementation
With regard to the connections of the New Hungary Rural Development Strategic Plan, the National Strategic Plan for Fisheries sector and the New Hungary Development Plan, special attention must be paid to the co- ordination of the planning and implementation of the programmes. The cohesion of development actions involving several ministries or programmes can be ensured by the constant and strong co-operation of the ministries, from the planning period through the implementation to the control. During the planning period, this will be ensured by the Development Policy Steering Committee. Then, co-ordination will be safeguarded throughout the entire programming period through inter- ministerial committees (Operational Committee for Planning and its subcommittees) and the harmonisation of various action plans and tenders – therefore, synergic effects can be guaranteed. The representative of the institution responsible in the management of the NHRDP the Fisheries Operational Programme (FOP) will also be invited to participate in the work of the Monitoring Committees supervising programme implementation.
The detailed coordination is described in chapter 6.2.1.