Budapest citizens and tourists passing by Vigado Square last 21st September could visit the projects exhibition organized by South East Europe programme. This exhibition was part of a series of events promoted by 77 Territorial Cooperation Programmes around Europe named European Cooperation Day.

European Cooperation Day has been celebrated across Europe and in neighbouring countries for the first time ever on 21 September 2012. With 77 European Territorial Cooperation programmes on board, more than 150 local events have taken place all over Europe during the week of 17 ? 23 September.

The South East Programme managing bodies are based in Budapest, so the local event was held in the hosting city, with the aim of population being aware of Territorial Cooperation in Europe in general and the SEE Programme in particular.

An interactive exhibition of projects approved in the framework of the SEE Programme was organized in a boat by the Danube Riverside of Budapest, taking into consideration the symbolic importance of the Danube for the Programme area. Different project partners presented in the exhibition the results achieved by 13 projects funded by the SEE programme. Some of these projects deal with Danube River-related issues but others work in a wide range of topics like food industry, digital TV or environmental issues.     

A press conference was also organized. Balázs Simó, Head of SEE Programme Managing Authority, Director of the Managing Authority for International Cooperation Programmes at the National Development Agency of Hungary, summarized the successful results achieved by the Programme since 2007 and pointed out the links between the SEE Programme and the Danube Marco Regional Strategy. Balázs Medgyesy, Government Commissioner for the EU Danube Strategy, emphasized the importance of the Danube Marco Regional Strategy and its possible benefits for the citizens of South East of Europe.

In general, the aim of the campaign, which carries the slogan ?Sharing borders, growing closer,? was to celebrate the achievements of cooperation between European regions and countries. Since the beginning of the 1990s, more than 20,000 European territorial cooperation projects, co-funded by the EU, have contributed to improving the lives of European citizens across borders, from creating jobs to protecting the environment to improving health care services, transport and energy. The European Cooperation Days was supported by the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament.

More information on the European Cooperation Day: www.ecday.eu