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The German technology organization VDE and the Hungarian Electrotechnical Association – MEE recently signed an official cooperation agreement at the VDE/BMFTR MikroSystemTechnik Kongress in Duisburg, the first such agreement in the history of the two organizations.

The closer contact between the two organizations arose during joint EUREL activities. EUREL is the umbrella organization of the national associations of electrical, electronic, and information technology engineers in Europe, which has been based in Brussels since 1972. The VDE is a founding member of EUREL, and Markus B. Jaeger, Global Head of Political Affairs at the VDE, has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of EUREL since 2019. Jaeger thus heads the business and content orientation of the long-established multinational association. It was also he who was able to make the Hungarian Electrotechnical Association a member of EUREL in 2024. For the VDE, EUREL is an important cornerstone for deepening relations with other European associations of electrical, electronic, and information technology engineers.

VDE President Alf Henry Wulf, who signed the cooperation agreement together with Dr. Martin Hieber (CTO of VDE), emphasized in his speech that the challenges facing Europe as a whole are enormous. “Many of these challenges can only be solved by working together. Across borders. I am therefore very pleased that MEE and VDE will be tackling the exchange of experience and mutual support in the future.” For example, joint projects, studies, seminars, and workshops will be used to address the shortage of skilled workers in the field of electrical engineering and information technology. “We all know that Europe needs more electrical engineers. Without them, it makes no sense to talk about future technologies made in Germany and made in Europe. We must halt our increasing dependence on other regions of the world and, in the best case, reverse it. Europe and Germany as a whole must become more resilient.”

The President of MEE, Dr. Ferenc Molnár, who signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of the Hungarian friends together with László Deák, outlined the historical connection between the VDE and the MEE. He emphasized that 125 years ago, the VDE had served as a blueprint for the founding of the MEE in Hungary. "In 1879, the Berlin Electrical Engineering Association was founded. The president of the association was Werner von Siemens. The association had 1,552 members, including 69 Hungarian engineers. It was the world's first professional organization dedicated specifically to electricity. Cooperation between German and Hungarian engineers intensified steadily. Many Hungarian engineers completed their studies at German universities at that time. The founding of the VDE in 1893 was considered a successful model in Hungary and led to the founding of the Hungarian Electrotechnical Association in 1900." This was followed by many decades in which both organizations worked closely together on cross-border professional development and training. “After the historic turning points of the 20th century, we would like to revive the excellent cooperation that began 145 years ago.”

For Markus B. Jaeger, the cooperation agreement between VDE and MEE is a special historical moment: " You might be tempted to say that in 2025, a circle will be closed that began in 1879 at ETV Berlin. It's a popular – and certainly beautiful – image. But you can't move forward in a circle. When you draw a circle, you draw up and down, back and forth. But in the end, you are in the same place as when you started. In view of the multiple and very serious challenges of the present, we can no longer afford to stand still. We don't have time for that. We must look ahead. Immediately after the signing, MEE President Dr. Molnár and I discussed our first joint activities in 2026." For the VDE, Jaeger is the single point of contact for relations with the MEE and thus a multiplier within the VDE organization.