Martin Klatt and Jørgen Kühl*

National Minorities and Crossborder Cooperation between and . A Case Study of Baranya, Hungary and Osiječko-baranjska County, Croatia

I. Background In 2004-05, the Department of Border Region Studies at the University of Southern Denmark participated in the complex development project ‘Miroslav Krleža’ Croatian– Hungarian Educational Centre between Hungary and Denmark. It was a twinning project, funded under the crossborder cooperation remit of the European Union’s PHARE (originally Poland and Hungary Reconstruction Programme) programme. The project took place in the Hungarian–Croatian border region. The ‘Miroslav Krleža’ Educational Centre offers education for the Croat minority in the county/komitat of Baranya and is located in the city of Pécs. Its partner institution in this project was the educational centre of the Hungarian minority in the Croat city of . One of the main objectives of the project was to develop an action plan for crossborder cooperation in the fields of culture and education in the Hungarian–Croat border region, including and involving also the Croat and Hungarian minorities. This article summarizes the methods, findings and conclusions regarding the existing situation and the enhancement and possible future development of crossborder cooperation within the areas of culture and education in the Hungarian–Croat border region around the cities of Pécs and Osijek, with a special focus on the national minori- ties residing in the region. The results of this case study were obtained through several approaches: a two-day workshop in Pécs, telephone interviews and study visits to the Hungarian–Croatian border area and to Budapest, including meetings with key actors within the field of the Croat minority in Hungary, the Hungarian minority in Croatia and representatives of local government in the border region. All persons visited, interviewed and who

* Martin Klatt is an Associate Professor at the Department of Border Region Studies, Uni- versity of Southern Denmark. Jørgen Kühl is the former Director of the Department of Border Region Studies, University of Southern Denmark.

European Yearbook of Minority Issues Vol 6, 2006/7, isbn 978 90 04 17423 8, 193-210. © 2008 Koninklijke Brill NV. Printed in The Netherlands. Martin Klatt and Jørgen Kühl participated in the workshop provided important information and contributed with assessments of the state of crossborder cooperation in this region.

II. History and Geography

A. Geography This case study focuses on the border region Baranya/Baranja between Hungary and Croatia along the river, including the regionally important cities of Pécs (Hungary) and Osijek (Croatia). The region’s geography is characterized by a mild climate, fertile farmland and nature reserves along the rivers. Agriculture plays an important part in the region’s economic framework, together with the food-processing industry and bev- erage production. Additional industries include the production of cellulose, paper and cardboard, as well as the chemical industry. In food and beverage production, capacities in the milling and baker’s trades, sugar refinery, fodder processing, the dairy industry, abattoir and meat-processing capacities, fruit and vegetable processing, the confection industry and the vintner and brewer’s trades are important. The wood-processing and paper industries are traditionally export-oriented, representing a labour-intensive pro- duction that occupies a significant position in the region’s economy. The textile industry has a long tradition and is of significance to the economy. All industry has undergone some restructuring since the fall of communism. The largest cities in the region, Pécs (160,000 inhabitants) and Osijek (122,000 inhabitants), date back to the . They are important regional economic centres and both have full-scale universities. Pécs is the centre of a heavily industrial- ized region, traditionally based on mining of coal and uranium and food-processing. Mining has been discontinued since the 1990s, however. Osijek experienced an immedi- ate decline in industrial activities following the break-up of . The city suffered and was severely damaged due to heavy fighting in the war with Yugoslavia following Croatia’s declaration of independence in 1991. Damage to buildings is still visible. Today, Osijek is situated in a geographically isolated and remote position within Croatia.

 See the list of institutions that provided information at the end of this article.

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