Oradea-Debrecen

Countries: Hungary , Romania
Regions concerned: County of Bihor (Romania), County of Hajdu-Bihar (Hungary)

The border cities of Oradea (population 183,000) in Romania and Debrecen (population 208,000) in Hungary are separated by a distance of 70 km. Despite their relative geographic distance, they maintain a relationship of close cooperation, in particular due to the presence of a large Hungarian minority on the Romanian side.

Cross-border cooperation

Oradea and Debrecen formalised their relations in 2002 with the creation of the Hajdú-Bihar-Bihor Euroregion (1,147,226 inhabitants) between the two counties of which they are the main towns. This structure has helped the joint development of projects, most of which are concerned with culture, the environment and tourism. One of the flagship projects in this cooperation is the “Crosstrans” initiative, which has enabled the development of local transport systems from the city of Oradea to the urban hubs of Debrecen, with the aim of creating a cross-border urban network. In addition, the two cities have been involved in many projects concerning health, education and economic development.