Wise decisions in Brussels will enrich local communities and Europe
The tourist centre in Barcs, built with a budget of around 400 million HUF, was inaugurated on Friday. At the event, Katalin Novák stressed that the investment is a good example of how wise decisions in Brussels can enrich local communities and Europe.
Speaking on the second day of her visit to Somogy County in front of the centre, which was created by renovating and rebuilding a former salt warehouse on the banks of the River Drava, the President said that "today we can see the benefits of EU membership", if "decision-makers in Brussels focus on what they have to focus on".
Katalin Novák pointed out that Croatia is now a member of the Schengen area, which made the Hungarian-Croatian border freely crossable, and that the River Drava no longer separates Hungary and Croatia, but connects them as a link.
In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Head of State noted that the people of Barcs, who remember the South Slav Conflict, understand the significance of war in the neighbourhood.
Today, those living in the north-east of the country feel the threat of war closest to them, but the horror of war threatens "all of us", Hungarians and Europeans alike, she said.
She added that this is why Hungary is doing everything it can to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table, to bring about a ceasefire and build peace.
Csaba Tibor Koós (Fidesz-KDNP), mayor of Barcs, said that the creation of the tourist centre made it possible to renovate an old historic building at the once busiest port on the banks of the River Drava, where "what is needed now are not dockworkers, captains and merchants, but visitors who want to explore the landscape and who love and respect what the river represents ".
The press release of the event underlines that the tourist centre was created as part of a Hungarian-Croatian programme, largely funded by the European Union.
The building includes a cafeteria, a bicycle storage and four horse stands for horseback tourists, and interactive exhibitions to introduce visitors to the past of Barcs, its transport history, culture and traditions.
The mayor told journalists that the tourist centre will also be able to accommodate boats. He noted that Barcs has a hot-water spa, a bike route, clean air, friendly inhabitants and he hopes that the latest investment will further increase the city's attractiveness as a tourist destination.
After the event, Katalin Novák took a short bike ride across the Hungarian-Croatian border and visited a local Beas community.