Debrecen4U June 23, 2025

A professional day organised by the Association of Cities and Villages in Debrecen

The president of the association, János Halász, highlighted that this is an organisation where culture and community cooperation play a distinguished role. The Association of Cities and Villages is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The anniversary professional day was held at the Old Town Hall. The association currently has 26 member settlements, one of which is the city of Gyula.

“The city of Gyula is also a member of other local government representative organisations, but I claim that this is the most valuable organisation, it is the best to be a member of it because here, settlements with very similar characteristics, blessed with similar opportunities and formulating similar goals, can cooperate; therefore, the joint work between the settlement leaders is extremely productive and efficient,” Mayor of Gyula Ernő Görgényi highlighted. 

An essential goal of the association is to build and operate a cultural community network that enables cities and villages to get to know each other’s values ​​and share them. The members maintain close ties with one another; this marks the 102nd professional day, and they have participated in a total of 1,027 programmes over the past 20 years.

President of the Association of Cities and Villages, János Halász, emphasised that this is an organisation where culture and community cooperation play a prominent role. “This has become a network that helps us get to know each other and get to know those newer and newer cultural landscapes where there are communities with similar values ​​as ours at home. This is the organisation that helps us get to know our country: we usually say that we are an organisation of everyday patriotism,” the president summed up.

Mayor László Papp said that this is a kind of bridge between settlements with different opportunities and abilities. The city leader emphasised that they must understand each other’s perspectives, regardless of their size.

“The secret of the success of this city and, in my opinion, of our settlements is largely that we can think in alliance and cooperation. We are not looking for differences, not for the reasons or justifications that separate us. Still, rather, we are capable of compromises and cooperation for the benefit of our settlements,” the mayor said.

At the event, László Papp presented a commemorative plaque on the occasion of the anniversary, and he received an 1887 mayoral annual report from János Halász.

Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu