Cross-border cooperation has a significant past as Hungary actively participated in cross-border development financed from Phare programmes prior to the accession to the EU. At present, all the seven border regions participate in cross-border cooperation programmes, from which Hungary functions as Managing Authority in four programmes. Cross-border cooperation is of prime importance for Hungary besides direct financial resources as 15 out of 19 NUTS III counties are involved in CBC programmes. More than 80% of the population in Hungary lives in border regions, meanwhile a little more than one third of the EU total population lives in regions close to national borders.
