The European House association was founded in Budapest with the basic idea of promoting links and co-operation between Hungary and Europe with the specific means of civil society. The founders adopted the constitution, the programme and elected the leadership. Mr Miklós Hubay, writer, President of the Hungarian Pen Club was elected Chairman.
On the first programme of our organisation guests arrived from 15 European countries to monitor the first round of the 1990 parliamentary elections and were informed about the new perspectives of civil co-operation.
In co-operation with the local government we organised an international youth camp in Kecskemét, where the participants worked on the tidying and refurbishment of an army barracks, vacated by the Soviet army. The building today is used for civilian purposes.
Through the scolarship offered by the European House youth from Britain, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain participated in a Hungarian language course organised by the Kossuth Lajos University, Debrecen.
Within the frame of a joint project with the Prince's Trust (London) a book rarity entitled 'Fragile Continent' compiled and made by English and Hungarian young people was published. The launching of the book took place in the Merlin Theatre in Budapest where the Hungarian President, Árpád Göncz was also present. On 18 November in Kensington Palace in London Prince Charles was the host of the presentation.
Together with other international organisations and under the title 'The World in Our Eyes' we hosted an international seminar for young people at the Calvinist College in Debrecen. Its aim was to assist the participants coming mainly from Central and Eastern Europe to understand each other better.
'On the Track of Vanishing Crafts - the secrets of bookbinding' was the title of a training course and presentation, which was held with the assistance of a young English craftsman in the Festetics Castle Museum in Keszthely.
Representatives of 15 Hungarian youth organisations travelled to Scotland to study youth work and to establish new contacts. The return visit took place between 19-26 September. As a result co-operation on the grass-root level among various youth groups has significantly increased.
Entitled 'Forum of Young Professionals' we started a series of lectures in Hungarian and English, where economic, social and other current issues were discussed by university students and career starters with the guidance of well-known experts and professionals.
"Today in Europe - Where are we heading?" was the title of an international conference hosted by the European House. Its participants from more than 20 countries discussed the challenges intellectuals face today and possible non-conventional responses.
Budapest hosted the Review Conference and Summit of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. We organsied and co-ordinated the participation and parallel activities of Hungarian and international NGOs. They included presentations, briefings, an information session with László Kovács, Hungarian foreign minister, a multicultural evening, and a confidence-building activity for young people from different European countries.
As a contribution to the UN International Year of Tolerance (1995) an international study trip was organised under the title "From Conflicts to Reconciliation: Civil Society for Tolerance in East-Central Europe." 50 participants from 18 countries visited Szeged (Hungary), Subotica and Novi Sad (Yugoslavia) and Timisoara (Romania). The project was sponsored by the Olof Palme International Center (Stockholm).
We organised several forums (book presentations, meetings, etc.) for the representatives of the Hungarian minority living in neighbouring countries. We used these occasions to present our publications: "Conventional Wisdoms on National Minorities and International Security" and "Functions and Disfunctions of the National Factor in Central and Eastern Europe."
The General Assembly of the European House Association was held in Budapest. Among the keynote speakers was Mr József Köto (Cluj, Romania), dramaturgist, who argued that the East Central European region - in spite of its economic backwardness - is able to create long-lasting ethical and cultural values. Mr Miklós Hubay was re-elected as president, Mr Miklós Barabás and Ms Maya Szilágyi as directors.
Representatives of Hungarian civil associations visited London, where they took part in the events of Charity Fair '96. The preparations of the Nonprofit Expo in Budapest were started on the basis of the experiences gained in England.
In collaboration with the Olof Palme International Center in Stockholm we organised a fact-finding mission to Yugoslavia before the parliamentary elections where we met a wide range of civil associations in Voivodina, Belgrade, Podgorica, Kragujevac and Pristina (Kosovo).
We organised the 1st Hungarian Nonprofit Expo. The two-day event was the first national Charity Fair staged in Hungary. Representatives of charities with the most diverse objectives attended and presented themselves to the public in a colourful, inventive way. More than 3,200 visitors came to see the stands of the exhibitors. The public could attend conferences, debates and presentations; it was a unique opportunity to exchange information and to develop contacts for future co-operation. In the wake of the success of Nonprofit Expo '96, we decided to hold the Second Nonprofit Expo in 1997 making this an annual showcase for the Hungarian civil sphere.
At the initiative of the European House an 8-member delegation composed by representatives of various civil organisations made a goodwill mission to Romania in order to assist the confidence-building process between the two countries.
In preparation to the 2nd Nonprofit Expo and the CIVICUS Second World Assembly regional Nonprofit Expos were held in Zalaegerszeg, Debrecen, Szombathely, Szeged, Kecskemét and Kaposvár in Hungary.
On the occasion of the publishing of the Hungarian translation of the book 'Our Creative Diversity' of the UNESCO World Commission on Culture and Development, in co-operation with the Hungarian UNESCO Committee we organised a round-table discussion on the multicultural aspects of society at the end of the 20th century.
'Parallels and Crossroads or State, Business and Civil Society' in Hungary was the title of the national conference held in the Hungarian Parliament. Prime Minister Gyula Horn opened the event; the distinguished speakers emphasised the importance and necessity of co-operation between the three sectors. More than 560 participants attended the conference after which a booklet was published in Hungarian by the European House with the speeches of the speakers.
Continuing our collaboration with the Olof Palme International Center in Sockholm we organised a Summer Academy for journalists from the former Yugoslavia. Participants from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Yugoslavia emphasised the importance of the free circulation of information and the necessity of the implementation of European media standards.
We acted as the national co-ordinator and host of the CIVICUS Second World Assembly entitled 'Citizen Participation and Globalisation: Engaging Our Partners'. More than 500 participants from over 75 countries attended the assembly in Budapest and discussed the themes considered to be the most important issues facing civil society organisations around the world.
Parallel to the CIVICUS World Assembly we organised the 2nd Nonprofit Expo at the same venue. This year the Expo attracted more than 3,800 visitors who could see the 57 stands of the exhibitors. The diverse professional programmes during the Expo included: discussion and debate on the draft Hungarian nonprofit law; presentation on the British nonprofit sphere; and other workshops and lectures.
As the Hungarian Nonprofit Law came into force on 1 January, 1998 we organised a number of information sessions and presentations to civil society organisations on how to interpret and implement the Law. To assist this process we published a special booklet.
The first issue of our monthly bulletin 'Civil Hungary' was published with a circulation of 5,000. It covers a broad range of topics relevant to civil society organisations and provides up-to-date information.
Under the title 'Europe's Changing Profile: Minorities and Multiculturalism' we hosted a special meeting of European Foundation Centre's Minorities Interest Group in Budapest.
A World Bank Regional Office, Hungary project resulted in the elaboration and publication of a study in English and Hungarian titled 'NGO Stock-Taking in Hungary'. Overall coordination of the project including the organisation of a special workshop was our responsibility.
We translated into Hungarian and published in 2,000 copies the 'Communication from the Commission on Promoting the Role of Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in Europe'.
We initiated and hosted the European Civil Forum and the European Nonprofit Expo in Budapest under the title 'Integration, traditions and human values'. Once again it proved to be the biggest event of Hungarian civil society with international participation.
In cooperation with The World of NGOs, we organised a bilateral seminar with broad participation of civil society organisations from Austria and Hungary in Gyor and Vienna to promote direct contacts and joint projects. A similarly successful visit was paid to Milan and Padua where we attended the events of Civitas paving the way for the intensification of Italian-Hungarian civil co-operation.
Together with the Olof Palme International Center of Stockholm we organised an international seminar in Budapest to address new security developments and challenges. The proceedings were published in English in book form.
We have coordinated Central and Eastern European participation at the 3rd CIVICUS World Assembly held in Manila, Philippines where - among others - a decision was taken that the European House would host the European Regional Office in Budapest.
For the fourth consecutive year we organised the annual exhibition, meeting and conference of Hungarian NGOs in Budapest. The central topic of Civiliáda '99 was European integration.
Under the title 'Citizens' Agenda 2000' a European NGO Forum was held in Tampere (Finland) where our delegation was an active participant. The meeting strongly supported the EU enlargement.
The CIVICUS European Regional Office was opened in the European House. The event brought a high-level CIVICUS delegation to Budapest, led by Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General. A well-attended conference was also organised on the perspective and challenges of a global civil society.
We were the Hungarian partners of the Educational Faculty of Nuremberg University and hosted an international conference for teacher trainers from Central and Eastern Europe. Support for teachers in Kosovo was one of the central topics.
We have coordinated the Hungarian participation at the international conference 'Four engines of Europe' held in Milan with the participation of leading representatives of the four most developed European regional authorities. An important message of the gathering was the support for EU enlargement.
A constituent assembly of NGOs from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia addressing World Bank issues was held in Vilnius, Lithuania. A mission statement and guidelines for a workplan were elaborated; implementation is the responsibility of the elected board under the chairmanship of the European House representative.
Prepared by a working group a national forum of Hungarian NGOs was held in Budapest under the title 'Civil Europe - Civil Hungary'. Participants adopted a Position Paper on the Commission's Discussion Paper 'The Commission and Non-Governmental Organisations: Building a Stronger Partnership'. The European House was the overall coordinator of the project.
'Building bridges of democracy' was the title of a CIVICUS-supported international project organised jointly by The World of NGOs, Austria, SAIA - Service Center for the Third Sector, Slovakia and the European House. It took the form of a boat trip on the Danube from Vienna to Bratislava. Participants agreed to continue the programme from Budapest to Novi Sad in 2001.