Pécs, Békéscsaba and Debrecen (Hungary)
September 21.– 27. 2003

Conference Objectives

This BRIT conference is especially timely. It takes place only a few months before the first round of EU enlargement eastward is scheduled to go ahead. Hungary, the host country of this sixth event, will (along with Estonia, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and other countries) become a member state and its borders with Romania, the former Yugoslavia and Ukraine will become the external limits of this enlarging community. This will have important consequences for border cities and cross-border interaction as more restrictive visa and border-control formalities take effect.

However, enlargement is occurring simultaneously with processes operating at larger spatial scales and in more global political contexts. As the Union accommodates ten new members, the EU itself is seeking a clearer foreign and security policy profile. The development of a more decisive geopolitical role for the EU can be seen as an antipode to a putative “unipolarity” in the present-day world system, a system which is characterised by increasing transatlantic tensions and the “war against terrorism”.

In keeping with BRIT’s more general objectives, this conference encourages theoretical, empirical and practical discussion on borders, border regions and geopolitics. While the conference will take place in Hungary and EU enlargement will feature prominently, wider international comparisons are also encouraged.

This conference will also feature a special session dedicated to the EXLINEA research project, funded by the European Union. EXLINEA will scrutinise the development of cross-border interaction and governance at the EU’s external boundaries over the next three years.

Conference Structure

This conference varies from the standard BRIT formal in that it is conceived as a “travelling” event. BRIT VI will begin in the Southern Transdanubian city of Pécs, where the opening address and first session will take place. The conference then travels on through Croatia and Serbia to Békéscsaba in Hungary’s Great Plain region where further sessions will be held. After a second excursion that will take the group through Romania, BRIT VI will hold its final panel sessions in the East Hungarian city of Debrecen. The conference closes with an excursion to the Ukrainian Borderlands or another nearby border area. The exact routes of the conference excursions will depend on the relative “permeability” of the Serbian (i.e. Yugoslavian) and Ukrainian border to non-Europeans.

• The organisers welcome abstract and suggestions for panels that address basic border-related issues. Several especially salient (and interconnected) areas of focus are identified below but these are not meant to exclude the submission of other proposals.
• Theorising Borders, Boundaries and Identities within Processes of Political and Economic Integration
• Scrutinising the “New Regionalism”: The Second Great Transition?
• Geopolitical Discourses of “the Other” in National/Regional Identity-Formation
• Geopolitics of EU Enlargement
• Northern and Other Dimensionalities of the EU
• Enlargement and its Impacts on Internal/External Borders of the EU
• Border Area Case Studies: Environment, Economics, Minorities, and Other Governance Issues, Sociologies of Cross-Border Interaction
• Specific Hungarian Border Region Case Studies
• Presentation and discussion of the EU-project “Exlinea”

The organisers of BRIT-VI hope to welcome you to Hungary and to what promises to be a very stimulating conference!

Congress venue, transportation and accommodation

21. 09. 2003 (Sunday)
Arrival at Pécs.

22th 09. 2003 (Monday)
Registration, opening ceremony, an evening reception.

09. 23. (Tuesday)
Field trip by bus from Pécs to Békéscsaba, via Vukovár (Croatia)– Szabadka (Serbia) – Szeged (Hungary). An evening reception in Békéscsaba.

09. 24. (Wendesday)
Paper sessions. Congress venue: Fenyves Hotel congress hall, Békéscsaba

09. 25. (Thursday)
Field trip by bus from Békéscsaba to Debrecen, via Nagyvárad (Rumania). An evening reception in Debrecen.

09. 26. (Friday)
Panel session. Congress venue: still being discussed.

09. 27. (Saturday)
Field trip by bus to Ungvár (Ukraine) via Záhony (Hungary). Return to Debrecen in the evening. Closing of the congress.

Transportation

Direct bus transfer (Airport Minibus) is available from Airport Ferihegy to the main railway stations of Budapest.

Train departures

From Budapest Déli Pályaudvar (Main Station South) to Pécs for those who arrive on the 21th and 22th of September.
From Budapest Keleti Pályaudvar (Main Station East)to Békéscsaba for those who arrive on the 23th and 24th of September From Budapest Nyugati Pályaudvar (Main Station West)for those who arrive on the 25th and 26th of September.

Official timetable of the Hungarian Railway Co. is available on the website http://www.elvira.hu.

Accommodation

Accommodation for participants are available in the following hotels and pensions. Reservations could be done either by fax or by e-mail.

Pécs

Hotel Palatinus
www.danubiusgroup.com/palatinus
Address: H-7621 Pécs, Király u. 5.
Phone/fax: +36 72 514-252
E-mail: palatinuspatria.reservation@danubiusgroup.com

Hotel Patria
www.danubiusgroup.com/patria
Address: H-7621 Pécs, Rákóczi út 3.
Phone/fax: +36 72 514-277
e-mail: palatinuspatria.reservation@danubiusgroup.com

Hotel Millennium
www.hotels.hu/hotelmillennium
Address: H-7625 Pécs, Kálvária u. 58.
Phone/fax:+36 72 512-222
e-mail: hotelmillennium@matavnet.hu

Hotel Főnix
www.hotels.hu/fonix_pecs
Address: H-7621 Pécs, Hunyadi J. u. 2.
Phone/fax: +36 72 311-680
e-mail: none

Békéscsaba

Fenyves–Garzon Szálló
www.fenyveshotel.hu
Address: H-5600 Békéscsaba, Ifjúsági tábor 1701
Phone/fax: +36 66 456-126
e-mail: none

Fiume Szálló
www.fiume.viharsarok.com
Address: H-5600 Békéscsaba, Szent István tér 2.
Phone/fax: +36 66 443-243
e-mail: hotelfiume@matavnet.hu

Debrecen

Cívis Grand Hotel Aranybika
www.civishotels.hu/html/grand_hotel_aranybika.html
Address: H-4025 Debrecen, Piac u. 11-15.
Phone: 36 52 508-600; 508-601; 508-602;
Fax: 36 52 421-834
E-mail: aranybika@civishotels.hu

Cívis Hotel Kálvin
http://www.civishotels.hu/html/civis_hotel_kalvin.html
Address: H-4026 Debrecen, Kálvin tér 4.
Phone/fax: 36 52 418-522
E-mail: kalvin@civishotels.hu

Termal Hotel Debrecen
http://www.termalhotel.hu/
Termál Hotel Debrecen Gyógyszálló****
Address: 4032 Debrecen, Nagyerdei park 1.
Phone: +36 52 514-111; 514-182
Fax: +36 52 311-730
E-mail: debrcn@debrecen.com

DAB-Székház
www.dab.hu
Address: 4032, Debrecen, Thomas Mann u. 49.
Postal address: 4015 Debrecen, PoBox 7
Phone: +36 52 412-177
Fax: +36 52 410 909
E-mail: dab@dab.hu

Korona Panzió (Pension)
www.hotels.hu/koronapanzio1
Address: 4026 Debrecen , Péterfia u. 54.
Phone: 52-535-260
Fax: 52-535-261
E-mail: none

Péterfia Panzió (Pension)
Adress: 4026 Debrecen, Péterfia u. 37/b.
Phone/fax: +36 52 418-246; 423-583
E-mail: none

Centrum Panzió (Pension)
Address: 4026 Debrecen, Péterfia u. 37/a.
Phone/fax: +36 52 416-193; 442-843
E-mail: none

Financial conditions

For the participants from foreign countries, the registration fee is 180 EUROS that include the registration fee, congress proceedings (a book) and the cost of the field trip. The rest of costs (i.e. accommodation fee) is to be paid by the participants themselves locally.
For the participants from neighbouring countries, who will be present only on a single day of the congress (either in Pécs, or Békéscsaba or Debrecen) the registration fee is 100 EUROS (registration+ congress proceedings). All other cost should be paid by the participants locally (including accommodation and field trip, the latter costs 70 EURO).
For the participants from Hungary, the registration fee is 12000 HUF (registration+field trip+congress proceedings). All other costs should be paid by the participants themselves locally (accommodation).

Registration

Please download and send completed Registration Form to:

Dr. Imre Nagy C.Sc.
(BRIT6)
Centre for Regional Studies
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
5600 Bekecsaba, Szabó D. 40-42.
HUNGARY
Tel./fax: (+36)-66-328-577, (+36)-66-441-801

Abstracts

List of contributors and titles of abstacts.

Language

The official language of the congress is English.

Papers

Selected papers will be published in conference proceeding. Deadline for submiting papers(Word F., max 35000 characters): 31. October

General

Participants should arrange their visa to Croatia, Serbia, Rumania and Ukraine themselves.

Program

The program of conference

City mapsProgram

Conference venues see on city maps

Webmasters: Salánki Szilárd & Szemenyei Gyula.
Last modified: 19. Sept. 2003.
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