A major Hungarian–Serbian disaster management project has been launched to strengthen safety and security for communities on both sides of the border, combining new infrastructure, upgraded equipment and intensive training with strong cross-border cooperation. The €4.85 million programme, co-financed by the European Union, will run until August 2028 and aims to significantly improve how firefighting and rescue services respond to emergencies in the region.
At the opening ceremony in Mórahalom, southern Hungary, Mayor Zoltán Nógrádi (Fidesz–KDNP) said the initiative is designed to modernise local disaster management organisations, upgrade their infrastructure, continuously develop technology and expand professional knowledge. A central element of the project is the construction of a new Border Firefighting Center in Mórahalom. The 411-square-metre facility will include a 50-seat training room and will serve as both an operational base and a regional training hub. The local volunteer fire department will also acquire a used fire truck and an aerial rescue device, strengthening its ability to respond to fires and accidents in multi-storey buildings or difficult terrain.
Professional cooperation and the sharing of best practices are core themes of the programme. Participating services will collect and exchange operational protocols, then turn them into training materials on emerging technical challenges such as solar panel fires or accidents involving electric vehicles. The goal is to ensure that firefighters on both sides of the border can deal confidently with new types of risks associated with the energy transition and changing vehicle fleets.
Nógrádi also stressed the importance of cultivating the next generation of volunteers and professionals. Part of the project is dedicated to ensuring that, in the coming decades, there will be committed community members ready to work for regional safety, whether as career firefighters or as volunteers. To that end, the partners will organise youth camps, specialised training courses and competitions to attract young people and familiarise them early with rescue work and fire safety.
On the Hungarian side, the investment will have a visible impact across Csongrád-Csanád County. Five used fire trucks, two high-altitude rescue vehicles and a firefighting pickup will be purchased for volunteer fire departments in the area, improving response times in smaller municipalities. Fire stations in Balástya and Derekegyhaza will be renovated, providing better facilities for crews and more suitable storage for modern equipment.
Across the border in Serbia, the municipality of Kanjiža (Magyarkanizsa) in Vojvodina will receive €2.4 million through the project—roughly one-sixth of its annual budget, as Mayor Róbert Fejsztámer noted. The funds will be used to renovate the fire station in the border town of Horgos, including energy-efficiency improvements and the conversion of the attic to create additional usable space. A dedicated training area will be built there, filling a long-standing gap in the region and allowing firefighters to practise high-altitude rescue and other complex scenarios. The town will also acquire a ladder fire truck, significantly boosting its capabilities in dealing with fires in taller buildings or industrial sites.
The Serbian component goes well beyond a single town. Equipment purchases and training activities will extend across most of Vojvodina. Four firefighting pickups will be stationed in communities where professional units currently have to travel long distances, reducing response times in emergencies. Five sets of spreaders and cutters will be procured to improve rescue operations at traffic accidents, particularly on busy regional roads. In addition, 46 firefighting associations across Vojvodina will receive modern breathing apparatus and protective clothing, bringing their standards of personal safety closer to those of their EU counterparts.
Taken together, the investments and training on both sides of the border are intended to weave a tighter and more resilient safety net across the Hungarian–Serbian frontier. By synchronising procedures, sharing know-how and upgrading equipment in a coordinated way, the project aims not only to make individual towns like Mórahalom or Horgos safer, but to create a genuinely cross-border system of disaster management that can respond more quickly and effectively to fires, accidents and other emergencies in the years ahead.
