Overview
Established in 2025, the Research Group aims to support the University's teaching and research activities across a range of disciplines. Hungary has developed mutually beneficial economic, political, cultural and educational relations with the countries of Central Asia and has established significant cultural influence ("soft power") in the region. The Research Group contributes to the further development of these relations by providing analyses, policy recommendations and concrete proposals.
The European Union is the region's largest investor and one of its most important export markets. Thanks to its vast reserves of crude oil, natural gas, uranium and critical raw materials, Central Asia is an important long-term economic partner for Europe.
Central Asia provides a particularly relevant context for studying the major political, economic, security and environmental challenges of the 21st century. The struggle for spheres of influence, the resurgence of nationalism and the erosion of the rules-based international order are creating uncertainty and significant risks for the countries of the region. Cooperation with strategic research institutes in Central Asia enables the Group to monitor and analyse these developments and to formulate recommendations aimed at expanding cooperation between the European Union and Central Asia on the basis of shared economic, political and security interests.
One of the Group's key research priorities is to develop effective responses to the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity.
"Europe must make water a strategic priority, placing it on the same level as energy security and competitiveness. In the decades ahead, Europe's economic strength and the quality of life of its citizens will depend on how responsibly we manage our water resources" Prime Minister Péter Magyar pointed out.
Strengthening joint research and educational cooperation offers strategic benefits to both Hungary and the countries of Central Asia. The two regions face similar challenges. The drying up of the Aral Sea should not be interpreted as a warning that Hungary's climate will eventually resemble that of Central Asia. Rather, it illustrates what can happen to our lakes, such as Lake Velence, if climate change progresses faster than water management systems can adapt to a negative water balance.
The research findings and policy recommendations developed by the Group are applicable not only in Central Asia and Hungary but also in other geographical regions around the world. It is becoming increasingly evident that widely accepted paradigms, theories and approaches that have remained largely unchanged for decades are no longer adequate to address the increasingly serious challenges we face.
In 2025, the Central Asia Research Group successfully secured Erasmus Mundus Design Measures funding, leading a consortium of seven universities to develop an integrated Master's programme entitled Water Governance and Water Diplomacy.
The programme takes an innovative interdisciplinary approach by combining subjects from the social sciences and natural sciences. Its objective is to educate and train a new generation of policymakers, professionals and researchers equipped to develop effective responses to the challenges of the 21st century.
The consortium plans to submit the project proposal to the European Commission in early 2027.
Research group members
Research leader: András SZÉKELY-DOBY, Head of Department, Department of Economics, ELTE Faculty of Social Sciences
External member: Márton KRASZNAI
Keywords
climate change, water governance, water diplomacy, geopolitics, economic relations
News and events
Find more information, news and events on the page of Preparing Joint Masters on Water Governance and Water Diplomacy Supported by SPSW Erasmus Mundus Design Measure Project
Contact information (leader)
András SZÉKELY-DOBY
Department of Economics
ELTE Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary
Address: 1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A
E-mail: szekely.doby.andras@tatk.elte.hu