Building Sustainable Democracies

The most important pillar of sustainable mobility in Budapest is public transport. We are continuously modernising the most important, mostly rail-based public transport systems. This year we will establish micro-mobility points in the inner districts, regulate the use of scooters, relaunch the bike-sharing system and develop bike lanes. In May, the tender for the design of EuroVelo routes started, local cycle path networks will be created within the framework of 10 state funding projects, and we will make pedestrian subways barrier-free. In 2021, the new FUTÁR public transport app will make it even easier to access transport information.

I welcome the fact that in 2020 a green and progressive politician became the head of Timisoara. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Dominic Fritz in person. I follow his work with interest, especially regarding his progressive and green measures.

Interviewed by Daniel Hirsch, Budapest

Budapest Municipality and its partners are organising the very first international "Budapest Forum" on the Budapest campus of the Central European University from 15 to 17 September.

The focus is on the role of cities and local initiatives in building liveable and sustainable democracies. In addition to a meeting of the network "Pact of Free Cities" (Prague, Bratislava, Warsaw and Budapest), politicians, journalists, activists and researchers from all over the world will meet in the Danube metropolis to discuss various aspects of the topic. The high importance of the event is reflected in its participants: among others, Nina Hachigian (Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles), Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London), Anne Hidalgo (Mayor of Paris), political scientist Francis Fukuyama, historian Anne Applebaum, Katalin Karikó (Senior Vice President BioNTech), Ve�ra Jourová (Vice President of the European Commission), Michael Müller (Governing Mayor of Berlin), Muriel Bowser (Mayor of Washington) and climate researcher Diana Ürge-Vorsatz (Nobel Peace Prize winner).

The György Konrád Prize will be awarded for the first time at the Budapest Forum. This prize honours personalities from politics, culture and civil society who are active for the development of democracy and civil rights, the rejection of nationalism, populism and discrimination against minorities, the strengthening of civil rights and the development of civil society as well as the dignity of the people in the Danube region. The HungarianJewish writer Konrád was himself a civil rights activist during his lifetime and was also president of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. The international jury includes representatives from Budapest, Berlin and Vienna as well as the former mayor of Ulm, Ivo Gönner. The organiser of the award ceremony is Peter Langer from the European Danube Academy in Ulm.

International Danube-Cultural Conference, 21. – 23. 11. 2021 in Ulm Information: www.danubeculture.eu