Centrope region
CENTROPE, the Central European Region, is living and working space for about six and a half million people. For manifold reasons, all efforts should be taken to create a prospering European Region, where the existing strengths in economy, society and politics as well as the diversity of languages and culture, are utilised for a dynamic development.
Roughly six and a half million people live in the eight counties, regions and federal provinces that make up the Central European Region. The position of the region at the intersection of four countries and four languages - the interface of the new Europe par excellence - is reflected in the immense variety of the CENTROPE partner regions and cities.
The two capitals Bratislava and Vienna, as 'twin cities' at a distance of only 60 kilometres apart, Brno and Győr as additional cities of supra-regional importance as well as numerous other vibrant and attractive towns are the engines of an economically and culturally expanding European region. The Central European Region unites strong partners which ideally complement each other and - collectively even more so than individually - stand for quality of life, opportunity, creativity, growth and openness.
The convenient location and expanding market make CENTROPE an economic and investment space that offers excellent opportunities both for large-scale international corporations as well as small or medium-sized enterprises. Situated at the crossroads of important European transport corridors and enjoying efficient international airports, CENTROPE offers excellent accessibility and short distances to all European key markets. Measures to close existing gaps and eliminate bottlenecks in the cross-border transport network as well as to step up the modernisation of existing infrastructure will further improve internal and external accessibility in the not too distant future.
CENTROPE is characterised by a staggering number of institutions of research and higher education, which together constitute a valuable potential for the future development of the region. For example, it is home to fully 25 public universities and art academies as well as numerous extramural research facilities, universities of applied science, innovation centres and R&D-oriented enterprises. We can already see the research and educational institutions of the Central European Region co-operating in a great variety of ways. By working together, CENTROPE can evolve into a strong know-how and knowledge region in the European higher education and research area.