In November this year the Deputy State Secretariat for the Implementation of Economic Development Programmes of the Hungarian Ministry of Finance in cooperation with the European Commission will organise its 15th International Conference on Competitiveness Operational Programmes in Budapest. Last year we were forced to take a break in our series, but this year we will meet again in the Hungarian capital to discuss current issues in cohesion policy.

The exchange of experiences is perhaps timelier than ever; the pandemic of 2019 has had a major impact on all aspects of life and has posed a major challenge to countries around the world. Cohesion policy has played a major role in mitigating the short- and long-term impact of the crisis. At the end of the 2014-20 programming period, each Operational Programme used its remaining financial resources to absorb the shock to the economy. Specific programmes were launched in almost all Member States with the common aim of getting the economy back on its feet as soon as possible. The process that has begun is still ongoing and will therefore have an impact on the 2021-27 period as well. However, the new programming period should no longer be about recovery, but about restarting the economy, where the resources of the next seven years will play a major role in re-energising the SME sector.

The aim of this year's conference is therefore to share our experiences of the closure of 2014-20 period, in particular how we have been able to use each Operational Programme to counter the negative economic effects. In addition, we must now look to the future to see how we can respond to the economic challenges of the post-COVID era and how cohesion policy can help us respond to these changes. 

The event is part of the Hungarian Presidency's programme for the V4 countries and the Future EU conference series.

Participation at the conference is free of charge, however registration is required and the number of participants is limited.

The rules of entry to the Conference for foreign citizens will be the same as for entry to Hungary. For up-to-date information on travelling to Hungary please click here

Personal protective equipment will be provided at the conference.

We look forward to seeing you in November!