Lead partner: the Hungarian Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development

In Hungary, the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development coordinates municipal policy, placing it at the centre of simultaneous sectoral and vertical cooperation. A key objective of the Ministry is to support the development and coordination of the skills, capabilities and competencies of municipalities, both in general and in specific areas, recognising that they are the key to the most effective implementation of national and EU policies. 

Together with other ministries and their supporting institutions, the Ministry implements projects related to sustainable water management, climate change risk assessment related forecasting, prevention and disaster response. Through leading major projects, the Ministry's team of experts has built up various professional skills. One of the most important of these is stakeholder engagement and cooperation: it is able to involve all key stakeholders in large multi-stakeholder projects by holding regular consultations to discuss relevant problems, difficulties and possible solutions. In order to achieve the common goal of the partners, the Ministry has provided common guidelines, continuous and proactive support. These consultations have allowed for better information sharing and strengthened relationships between stakeholders. This comprehensive, interlinked portfolio, together with its extensive project management experience and efficient project management structures, make the Ministry a competent and experienced lead partner. In accordance with its internal operating rules, EU-funded projects are administratively managed and thematically implemented by the Project Coordination Department. As the lead partner, the Ministry has gained considerable experience in such projects, which aim to find innovative solutions to climate change adaptation, water management and resilience to extreme weather events. As such, the Department has gained significant experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder transnational projects, both in terms of content and partnership, to provide strong leadership and supportive coordination of the PPs. 

The LP (MoPARD) is responsible for overall project coordination and financial management of the project, as well as its partner level project management tasks. The LP supports the PPs in their tasks, maintains direct contact with the MA/JS and acts as a single point of communication in this regard. LP set up the project- and partner level coordination structures: its Project Management Team consists of an experienced project-, financial-, and also a communication manager. The Ministry also set up the project's internal communication channels and procedures. Reaching the end of the project, the LP will organise the 3rd International Workshop, together with the final conference in Budapest. Concerning the thematic activities of the project, the LP participates in the mapping and baseline study phase of SO1 and sets up the national stakeholder round table, inviting other Hungarian partners,ASPs (Directorate General of Water Management, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Rába-Duna-Vág EGTC, Komárom-Esztergom and Heves county municipalities) and other relevant stakeholders (counties, municipalities, NGOs, etc.). The Ministry has strong links with other Hungarian authorities, counties, NGOs and can reach out to many stakeholders and municipalities, which is a key component of a successful Stakeholder Roundtable, where the issues discussed will feed into the deliverables. MoPARD will play an active role in the development and distribution of targeted e-learning materials on TMF risk and disaster management to municipalities and policy makers. SO3 will be coordinated by the Ministry, as it has been deeply involved in the design and development of pilot actions. It will work closely with the activity leaders of the 3 pilot themes, and will mainstream its ASPs and other stakeholders'needs into the pilots implemented by Hungarian Partners. As a conclusion of SO3 activities MoPARD will coordinate the capitalisation on pilot activities, including transnational peer-reviews, and case studies on the solutions tested.