Thanks to the economic development programme in Vojvodina, it is worth being Hungarian and doing business again in Vojvodina as it is equally possible to use the opportunities offered by Serbia and the EU as well as those made available by the Hungarian government, Minister of State for Nation Policy Árpád János Potápi stressed on Wednesday in Palics.

The awards of the Vojvodina economic development programme’s mentor project were handed over in the city in Vojvodina. The Minister of State described the one year of the mentor project as successful. He said Vojvodina was chosen as the starting point for the mentor project because several other nation policy initiatives were previously launched in the region and were then raised to a pan-national level. Mr Potápi mentioned the granting of dual citizenship and the launch of the economic development programme as examples.

Mr Potápi pointed out that the change in the direction of nation policy was a conscious decision as the period between 2010 and 2014 saw the development of the legal acts which reinforced national cohesion, and following this, nation policy has sought to strengthen the advancement of Hungarians in their native land. Thanks to the calls for proposals of the economic development programme, many Hungarian families decided to return home, the Minister of State pointed out. He said the present situation is an opportunity in nation policy which must be seized. “The goal is to continue to work on creating opportunities for coming generations as well,” he underlined.

István Pásztor, President of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians highlighted that it is the task of Hungarian politics in Vojvodina and politics in Hungary to foster the preservation of the identity of those living there and to promote their advancement in their native land. He said the focal points of nation policy keep changing; earlier the preservation of identity was the main goal, while today livelihood issues have come more to the fore. The goal is to have a set of means in our hands with which we can help the people, he added. He highlighted that there had been a paradigm shift in nation policy for which he thanked the Hungarian government.

According to Mr Pásztor, community-building was the most beneficial outcome of the economic development programme, “we learnt to have faith in ourselves again, we proved to ourselves and to others that we are good enough to compete with anyone, that we are able to build the world around us in such a way that whilst engaging in a process of nation-building, we also build and improve our native land.” At the same time, the mentor project implemented as part of the economic development programme means enhanced cohesion within the community which is unparalleled in our region, he added.

The Hungarian government launched the economic development programme in Vojvodina in 2016 with a view to promoting the advancement and economic strengthening of Vojvodina Hungarians in their native land.

The mentor project was launched by the State Secretariat for Hungarians Beyond the Borders at the Prime Minister’s Office in cooperation with the Association of Young Vojvodina Entrepreneurs, the Design Terminal and the Prosperitati Foundation which is responsible for the implementation of the Hungarian government’s economic development programme.

The purpose of the project was to create a mentor network for entrepreneurs in Vojvodina. The mentor project was available, on the one hand, to the managers of large businesses who submitted successful applications for the grants of the economic development programme, and on the other to entrepreneurs with businesses in the initial or emerging phase who were the beneficiaries of the economic development programme or members of the Association of Young Vojvodina Entrepreneurs. The goal of the project was for experienced and successful entrepreneurs to share their knowledge with young people, thereby fostering their development. The mentors and mentorees took part in professional training courses to make their cooperation as fruitful as possible.

Twenty-five mentors and 55 mentorees completed the mentor project successfully. At the award gala of the mentor project, awards were handed over to the most dedicated and most steadfast mentors, the most steadfast and most diligent mentorees, and the most cohesive team. At the same time, the participant voted as the ‘spirit of the community’ also received an award.

(MTI)