Learning from unforeseen challenges posed by COVID-19
Image from Magyar CIVINET by Magyar CIVINET
Magyar CIVINET is the Hungarian-speaking CIVITAS National Network. While the CIVINET and its network of members have been working together for some time now, the COVID-19 pandemic has opened up a new opportunity for them. Namely, since the pandemic broke out, Magyar CIVINET has been holding most of its meetings online, which has led to an increasing number of participants.
During the last year alone (2021), Magyar CIVINET has held three webinars and one meeting, covering the topics: awareness raising and communication on sustainable mobility; smart cities and smart mobility; bicycle-friendly cities; and current challenges in organising public transport.
Moving online opened up unforeseen opportunities, and ultimately attracted more participants. For one thing, online attendance enabled people to tune in just for the event, saving on travel time and expenses. Furthermore, Magyar CIVINET invited international speakers to contribute to the discussion, providing simultaneous translation from English to Hungarian. This enabled the CIVINET to foster connections between local Hungarian mobility leaders, and experts from Austria, Germany and France.
The success of these webinars prepared Magyar CIVINET to hold a special webinar in November 2021 to promote the European Commission's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which aims to reach 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030.
Magyar CIVINET is looking forward to building on this momentum in 2022. It was recently selected to receive financial support from the CIVINET Activity Fund 2021, which is sure to help the network work towards more sustainable transport and mobility in Hungary.
Author: Magyar CIVINET
