In the previous installments of our series, we focused on how under- or overfunded Baranya County is compared to other counties nationwide, and in a second article, we examined how balanced the county’s internal distribution of EU funds is and what effects this has on individual districts and subregions.
In this article (and the ones that follow), we will conduct more specific analyses and examine how Baranya is faring in a particular area of development.
This article, therefore, discusses the development of transportation in Baranya County, with a focus on the expressway network and international integration.
Pillars
With regard to transportation development in the county, there are several areas and priorities that require special attention.
The geographical location of Baranya County—as the southern gateway to the country—has historically shaped the region’s economic and logistical potential. One of the most important objectives of 21st-century (and, for that matter, 20th-century) is to eliminate the region’s peripheral status, a goal the state is striving to achieve through the expansion of the expressway network and closer integration with international transit corridors.
1. The M6 Motorway: The backbone of the southern connection
The development of the M6 motorway is not merely an infrastructure project, but an undertaking of geostrategic importance. The completion of the section between Bóly and Ivándárda has filled a gap in Hungary’s expressway network.
International significance: The connection to the Croatian highway network at the Ivándárda border crossing enables a direct link to Osijek and the port cities of southern Croatia (and, in the future, the entire catchment area of the V/C corridor). This will provide a significant boost to Hungarian-Croatian trade relations, particularly in the logistics and freight forwarding sectors.
Economic impacts: Access to the highway is a key factor in attracting working capital. Faster transportation reduces supply chain costs, making the county’s industrial parks more attractive to investors.
2. The M60 Motorway and the West-East Transit Route
Another pillar of Baranya County’s transportation strategy is the M60 expressway, which connects the city of Pécs to the national transportation network.
The missing sections: currently, the M60 provides a connection between Pécs and the M6 motorway. However, the long-term strategic goal is to extend the route westward toward Barcs. Such a development would not only integrate the settlements along the Drava River into the transportation network, but could also function as an alternative east-west transit corridor, connecting the South Transdanubia region with the western road networks of neighboring countries. Unfortunately, the project is still pending; currently, only the planning for the Pécs-Szigetvár section is underway, while the Szigetvár-Barcs section currently seems very (perhaps even too) far off.
Regional development synergies: It is important to note here that the logistics hubs emerging along expressways can offset the competitive disadvantage of certain, less developed areas of the county, by creating jobs in the service and logistics sectors, which would present a particularly great opportunity for today’s Western Baranya.
The upgrade of the M60 expressway toward Barcs is currently in the preparatory phase, and the selection of the design-build contractor is currently underway. The project was divided into three phases during the planning process:
Section I: Pécs – Szigetvár (west)
Section II: Szigetvár – Barcs (State Route 6)
Section III: Barcs – National Border (Drava Bridge)
As things stand, environmental and feasibility studies have been completed for the first two sections. Although the project is of strategic importance, the pace of implementation is slower than expected, particularly compared to the completion of the Bóly–Ivándárda section of the M6—which was given priority for international transit purposes.
Given that both the planning and the eventual construction will require significant funding from the central budget, and no government decision has yet been made on this matter, it remains uncertain when the Pécs–Szigetvár and Szigetvár-Barcs sections will be open to traffic.
3. International Outlook: The New Silk Road and Central European Corridors
Hungary’s transport development strategy fits seamlessly into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) system. From this perspective, Baranya County plays a key role in strengthening the “southern axis.”
As far as geopolitical positions are concerned, the flow of goods between China and Europe (the so-called New Silk Road initiative) is seeking overland routes that, complementing maritime transport, provide faster access to the interior of the continent. Highway developments along the Croatian and Hungarian borders will enable (provided, of course, that the necessary infrastructure improvements are implemented) Baranya to become a regional logistics hub.
It should not be overlooked, however, that compared to other regions—such as those along the western border—development in Baranya began somewhat later; but since Croatia’s accession to the Schengen Area (2023), the speed of border crossings has multiplied the value and potential of investments.
Croatia-Hungary Time Trial: Who Has the Edge?
The question is by no means merely rhetorical, for while the two countries are bound to cooperate along the entire length of their shared border (since the goal is to provide quick access to the sea and develop high-speed infrastructure to support tourism), they are also locked in fierce strategic competition. The reason for this is that the regions of southern Hungary and northern Croatia face largely the same challenges: relatively high unemployment, a large labor supply, intense out-migration and, consequently, a lack of potential for added value, as well as (partial) infrastructural isolation.
Highway development projects in Croatia south of Barcs (on the other side of the Drava River) follow a different logic than those on the Hungarian side:
- Croatia is focusing on the development of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), particularly the 5C corridor, which connects the country from north to south. This highway, which runs through Bosnia and Herzegovina, ties up a significant amount of the Croatian budget, amounting to many billions of euros.
- While on the Hungarian side the construction of the M60 is intended to help the country “catch up,” on the Croatian side the focus is on improving access to coastal tourist regions (e.g., the area around Dubrovnik). In recent years, however, the situation has changed, and the Verőce-Zagreb connection has taken on an important role (precisely because of competition with Hungary). The key point is that once the Pécs-Barcs section and the Drava Bridge are completed in Hungary, the route will continue in Croatia via the D12 expressway. A map illustration of this, with brief explanations (traveling from Zagreb to Virovitica):
- We leave Zagreb heading north on the A4 highway (which continues into Hungary as the M7), where we turn right at the town of Sveta Helena onto the D10 expressway:
