Launched in 2019, the main objective of the long-term “Converging Settlements” programme is the diagnosis-based convergence of 300 settlements selected in cooperation with the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), mostly in the north-eastern and south-western parts of the country, and to bring about positive, forward-looking changes in the lives of the people and local communities there. As a first step of the long-term programme, the convergence actions were launched in 31 municipalities in 2019 with national funding, and then in another 36 municipalities in 2020. Pursuant to Government Resolution No. 1057/2021 (19 February), the programme extended to 51 additional small settlements in 2021 and 182 additional small settlements to be included were also designated. The programme will continue with a gradual roll-out to all the 300 settlements.

These 300 municipalities have 312,000 inhabitants and have nearly 5,000 births a year, mostly in Roma families with low incomes (more than half of the children receive regular child protection benefits). Their infrastructure is underdeveloped and there is a significant shortage of professionals, which hampers access to (quality) public services for the local population, e.g. more than one third of the municipalities do not have a general practitioner.

Most of the people living in the settlements have low levels of education and are unskilled. The percentage of those who do not finish 8 years of primary school is more than three times the national average (15.9%), and the drop-out rate is high. Public employment, moonlighting and seasonal work are often the only local job opportunities. Even during the nationwide labour shortage period preceding the pandemic, very few people from these villages were able to enter the primary labour market boom due to their lack of skills, availability and work socialisation disadvantages resulting from their long-term unemployment. Villages are characterised by unclear property structures, overcrowded housing without any comfort, poor sanitation and infections, health problems and unpaid utility bills due to living conditions. The percentage of emergency housing without comfort is 23.7%, almost five times the national average.

Several analyses have shown that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been more severe among the disadvantaged. Between 2019 and 2020, the most vulnerable groups suffered a three to six-fold drop in earnings compared to higher earners across the EU (Eurostat). Employees who are more vulnerable in the labour market, have low skills and commute to cities are more likely to lose their jobs. Effective access to distance learning is also limited for these groups, with the most disadvantaged communities often lacking internet infrastructure, families lacking the equipment and low-skilled parents less able to support their children in their learning.

The pandemic made access to many public services more difficult, and for groups living in small settlements and less familiar with the online world, it also became very difficult to access public administration or basic services (e.g. health care). This health care programme is closely aligned with the overall challenge and objective of Converging Settlements to reduce the higher social and health vulnerability resulting from the weaknesses in health care capacities of the most disadvantaged settlements and to increase the resilience of marginalised social groups.