Slovenian, Hungarian minorities want more funds for projects

The funds provided by the Muraba fund, which was set up by the Slovenian and Hungarian governments in 2021, are capped at EUR 25 million in five years.

First projects co-funded by the fund are already under way, while the registration of proposals for new projects is expected to start later this year.

Under the Muraba fund agreement, the two governments can provide up to EUR 25 million in five years, noted Bence Sarossy, the director of the Muraba European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation.

"This is the maximum for this project, while the exact amount depends on specific projects. Now we will start collecting proposals, and then it will be easier to discuss the exact amount of funds the governments will allocate," he explained.

Sarossy added that, based on the decisions made at yesterday's session, a proposal would be drafted that would provide a good framework for future projects.

The representatives of both ethnic minorities said they expected more funds than planned to be allocated, arguing that their projects were estimated at tens of millions of euros.

Dušan Orban, the head of the Hungarian ethnic minority in Slovenia, said they would also like the fund to operate beyond the planned five-year period as two years have already been lost due to certain delays in implementation.

"The agreement says the two country can contribute up to EUR 5 million a year, but this is not a guaranteed amount. We expect that if we prepare good projects, it will be possible to get more funding," he said.

In Prekmurje, first projects are already under way, including an upgrade of the youth hostel in Hodoš, a tourist information point in Domanjševci and expansion of the activities of the ethnographic house in Motvarjevci.

Karel Holec, the head of the Slovenian ethnic minority in Hungary, said that they "have prepared several projects that top EUR 20 million combined. But if only one million is available, only small projects will get funding."

Last year, the Slovenian and Hungarian governments each contributed EUR 1 million to the fund.

One of the pilot projects that is under way in Porabje (Raba Valley) in Hungary is the renovation of the Filo Mill, a long abandoned water mill that is expected to become one of the key tourist attractions in the area.

A symbol of the community's heritage and identity, the mill closed in the 1980s after being managed by the Filo family since 1870. The locals were able to bring buckwheat, wheat, pumpkin seeds and barley to be milled there.