„Controversial Canopy Walkway and Tower in Hungary Funded by EU“
Hungary has recently come under fire for two questionable investments. The first was the destruction of the forest surrounding a canopy walkway in Nyírmártonfalva, which was built with HUF 60 million EU funding. Instead of being surrounded by trees, the walkway is now surrounded by pavilions, a playground, and two unfinished toilets. Satellite imagery indicates that the trees were still there in February 2022 and were harvested last summer. Interestingly, the land on which the walkway was placed belongs to Mihály Filemon, the Fidesz mayor of the village who won the money for the project as a private person.
The second project to come under fire is a series of low-lying “lookout towers” built by the Kiskunság National Park Directorate on the outskirts of Kunszentmiklós. The 1.5-metre-high lookout tower was built along with five others, two of which are 1.5 to 2 metres high and the other three have a floor level of 4 metres. The lookout towers were part of a LIFE project, with 75 percent of the funding coming from the EU and 25 percent from Hungary. The national park clarified that the lookouts are part of a unique trail that is still being completed, accessible by car or bicycle. Neither the cost of the project nor the reason for its unusual features has been disclosed.
