Croatian - Hungarian border region

• Author: Viaggi, Raffaele; Rubio, Jean; Peyrony, Jean
• Pages: 43-44

ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF BORDER-RELATED MEASURE S TAKEN BY MS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

CASE STUDIES

43

Croatian – Hungarian border

region

Border controls and

cross-border mobility

(Reduced crossings

points, type of controls,

congestion, CB public

transport…)

After the pandemic started in Hungary, in the first two weeks there

was a complete border closure on the Hungarian side. After a while,

cross-border workers as well as those Croatian citizens who own

vineyards in Hungary were allowed to cross the border so they could

continue their work-related activities.

Cross-border public transport was not stopped during this period.

CB coordination and

dialogue during the

crisis and the de-con-

tainment phase

(Evolution in border con-

trols and effects of the

lifting of border controls)

Decisions appeared to be exclusively taken at a national level. There

was only a minimum cross-border coordination: even the several

twin settlements relations became looser.

The experience showed that, in a pandemic situation, the hierarchy

is so strict that CB organisations – such as EGTCs – can only partic-

ipate in the executive phase and in the prevention and not in the

phase of designing or shaping the responses.

Impact on cross-bor-

der workers

(Remote working and

taxation, social security,

unemployment…)

Workers were allowed to cross the border shortly after the border

closure. However, many people (especially from South Zala) worked

in Croatian and Austrian tourism and hospitality businesses. Since

these facilities closed immediately, many employees lost their jobs.

Impact on the users

of cross-border public

services (CPS)

(healthcare, information

to citizens, education…)

The level and number of real cross-border public services are rela-

tively low along this border section and thus the impact was not

measurable.