Crown Prince and Crown Princess visit Hungary
Photos: www.eeagrants.org
On Sept. 22 Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and Crown Princess attended the opening of Pannon House in Budapest, a new office building that aims to be the most environment-friendly in Hungary.
Prior to the opening, they met with Hungary’s President László Sólyom.
At Pannon House Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened the seminar “Sustainability and Architecture”. In her opening remarks she emphasised the importance of developing technology that can help companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions: “Today’s seminar is an important initiative. The topics Sustainability and Architecture will give examples of how business and industries can address the challenges of climate change and contribute to the reduction of CO² emissions through innovative technological solutions.”
Crown Prince Haakon praised Pannon’s efforts in his opening remarks, noting that companies which have a conscious strategy for creating a good work place for their employees and which give consideration to the company’s place in society will have a competitive advantage in today’s market.
Pannon, Hungary’s second largest mobile communications company, is a subsidiary of the Norwegian company Telenor. Pannon has received several awards and been actively involved in issues relating to the external environment, the working environment and the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR). The new building will serve as the daily workplace for 1,500 people, and is being called one of the most environment-friendly office buildings in Hungary. Pannon House has been constructed with a focus on renewable energy and energy-saving measures.
On Sept. 23 the Crown Prince and Crown Princess visited two projects that have received funding from the EEA and Norway Grants. The projects are the A-HA programme, which focuses on mental health for adolescents, and the Compass project, which helps at-risk youth to gain access to the labor market.
The contact between Norway and Hungary is steadily increasing. Some 800 Norwegian students are currently studying in Hungary, primarily medicine, and Budapest is emerging as an increasingly popular destination for Norwegian tourists.
Read more on: Kongehuset.no / Eeagrants.org
