The small area of Mátészalka can be found in the south and eastern part of Szabolcs –Szatmár-Bereg county. Inside the country it is peripheral-situated and one of the farthest small areas from the capital. The area occupies a position at the meeting of two regions, its western part belongs to the ’Nyírség’ but the eastern part to the Szatmár Plain. The past of the region is preserved by the Szamos and Kraszna rivers, which are rich in animals and plants; by the drained Ecsed Marsh, which is waiting for revival; furthermore by the Dead Szamos, the cultural inheritances, castles, mansions, barns and parks. They keep carrying the features of the present, too.
The small area is the organization level of the Hungarian administration, which has been existing for more centuries. It plays an important part in the organization of the state and social life. After 1992 the authority legal practice proved that a lower middle level was needed to the effective function of the administrative centre, which established the connection between the county as a unity of the middle level and every single settlements. The formation of the small area system and the legal regulation relating to the multi purpuse small area associations were mile stones in the modernization process of administration. These kinds of new-type associations play determinant parts in the renewal of the self-governing system, as they afford possibility for the qualitative and effective organization of the public-utility services, furthermore they insure the harmonic development for the participant settlements by the formation of the rational division of labour.

The Szatmár Multy Purpose Small Area Association has taken up its duties since the end of 2004, its functional area is the administrative area of the participant self-governments.
The centre of the Association: Mátészalka, Rákóczi St. 43.
The Associative Council is the directing and decision making organ of the Association. The mayors of the Association members form the Associative Council. The number of stuff is 26. The members of the Associative Council:

The Chairman of the Associative Council: 
Lajos Kovács — the Mayor of Nagyecsed

Managing Deputy-chairman:
István Szabó — the Mayor of Mátészalka

Deputy-chairmen:
Sándor Kovács — the Mayor of Géberjén
Sándor Jeney   — the Mayor of Nyírkáta
István Kárpáti — the Mayor of Mérk
Sándor Tisza — the Mayor of Vaja
Tamás Papp  — the Mayor of Fábiánháza

Among the duties, which are undertaken by the Association, are the organization of  the primary school educational associations, the provision of the pedagogical special services (educational advising, speech therapy, adapted physical education, choice of career), the organization of the central duty in the field of public health, the family aid concerning the social tasks, the children’s welfare service, the home assistance with signalling system and the operation  of other social basic services on the level of the small area, furthermore cooperation in cultural tasks and mobile library. In addition to this, the Association provides for the financial and economic inner checking of the 23 self-governments in the small area. The Association also carries out the duties of the Small Area Development Council, which provides for the concerted regional development and investment tasks of the small area.

The Association mantains a professional work organization for the provision of the operative tasks. This was created as an independent public financed institution and supplies the economic and decision preparation tasks of the association, the task fulfilments of the association. It also takes part in the management of the small area projects and in their realization.
In the frame of the work organization can work the co-workers of the government offices and their regional organs according to conditions, which were stated by a seperate law. They supply development, organizational and customer service tasks in the small area. The work organization works out its operational order and system on its own and these are accepted by the Associative Council with a decision.

The Mátészalka Small Area Coordinational Office, which is the work organ of the Association, has taken up its duties since the end of 2004, then it became a seperate public financed institution on 1 May, 2005. It performs the administration of development tasks with the help of 11 people on the level of the small area.

The conditions of field cultivation are weak in the area, the gold crown value of the arable area is low (typically 10-15 GC). A considerable part of the agricultural land is plough lands and gardens used as plough lands (75%), furthermore forests (12,3%). The proportions of the orchards are high (7,67%), but at the same time the forestry of the area is low, it scarcely surpasses the half value of the country. In spite of the relatively weak circumstances the branch plays an important part in the local social-economical environment: on one hand it continues to play a significant role in the employment, on the other hand it means a market and offers the inhabitants and the visitors cheap food.

During the last fifty years there was a significant location of industry in the small area, owing to this, the industrial production has got a significant tradition. Big factories work in the fields of optical industry, furniture industry and food industry in Mátészalka. Some parts of them also continue their work after the changing of the owners.

There is no tradition of tourism in the small area of Mátészalka, the infrastructure is not mostly built up, the number of services and accomodations is low. A smaller tourist industry can be built up onto the attractions ( natural values, rivers, dead rivers, cultural inheritances, programmes), which means the alternative forms of relaxation.

Succesful tenders in our area:

The Fulfilment of Small Area Strategic Documents (Comprehensive Regional Strategy and Programme;
Tourist Industry Conception; Liquid Waste Conception)
Activity boosting Motivating Tender
Communal Bus Aquision
Small Area Public Work Tender I, II, III, IV
Roma Closing up Centre
The development of the broadbent Internet in the Mátészalka Small Area
Tender for the Acquision of Service Cars for the Pedagogical Special Service

Availability
Szatmári Többcélú Kistérségi Társulás
4700 Mátészalka, Rákóczi út 43.
Tel/fax: 44/500-123
E-mail: szatmari.tft@t-online.hu