Infrastructure
 

Accessibility

Public roads
The number 86 motorway is a north-south axis reaching several settlements of the microregion, and crossing the border at Rédics, which is the most important border-crossing toward Slovenia with a significant goods and passenger traffic.
The number 75 road forms the Keszthely-Bak, Nova- Lenti- Rédics axes, which provides a good east-west accessibility of the region, and connects it to Balaton, and the regional airport in Sármellék.
The M7 dual carriegaway reaches the Croatian border at Letenye and goes on as the M70 motorway to Tornyiszentmiklós, connecting Slovenia and Croatia through Hungary. The recently built road reduced the through traffic of the settlements nearby. The M70 motorway reaches the Slovenian border at Tornyiszentmiklós, though it can not be used by the truck traffic, as there is a missing section of the road on the Slovenian side, the execution of the road is due in 2007.

Railway
The number 23 railway track runs between Zalaegerszeg and Rédics, which conducts both passenger and goods traffic. Rédics and Lendva (Slovenia) used to be connected by railway in the previous century, which has been closed down since then, even the tracks have been removed. It should be an urgent priority in railway development to restore the connection between Rédics and Lendva and to thoroughly reconstruct the railway section between Rédics and Zalaegerszeg.

Public Utilities
Electricity supply is accessible in all the settlements. Households have a connection to the gas supply almost everywhere in the region. The microregion’s water supply and sewarage coverage has risen almost to 100%. The central sewage works are in Lenti, but there are smaller sewage treatment plants in some larger villages (Lovászi, Páka, Tornyosszentmiklós). In settlements where sewerage is not available, sewage is carried away to the sewage plant in Lenti.
LE-KO Ltd. is responsible for domestic refuse collection. Domestic refuse is carried to the refuse dump of Mumor, which is now being rebuilt, with the co-ordination of ZALAISPA Waste Disposal Association. These works are to terminate in April 2007, when the technical deliverance of the new refuse dump, compost section and the junkyard takes place.
Regarding telecommunication network – Internet is accessible everywhere, even through optical fibre in Lenti and some surrounding settlements. Cable television can be used throughout the microregion except for some minor villages.
A new electrical system of administration is being introduced in several settlements of the microregion. This project is assisted by a Sloveian-Hungarian-Croatian Interreg tender won this year. The new system provides a simpler and quicker way of collecting the necessary data for administration at the local governments, it also provides a more convenient way of informing clients.


Labour Market

A hamlet settlement structure with ageing population is characteristic of the microregion, with a lower ratio of active population. Nevertheless a lot of well-trained employees work in different branches of the economy: agriculture, timber industry, engineering industry, administration.
The unemployment rate here is lower than the average of the county, which is partly a result of aided employment programmes. The Lenti Agency of Labour Centre, Zala County plays a significant role in helping the unemployed, and returning them to the world of work, thus supplying the labour demand of the local enterprises. The organisation provides courses and trainings for those, who are forced to learn a new profession to be able to find a job. The Local Government of Lenti has significant employment programmes, e.g. EQUAL and Public Work Programme. Lámfalussy Secondary School and the local branch of Chamber of Commerce and Industry contribute to the adult education of the region. Several companies cannot avoid training their employees on their own resources, as they do not find labour force that meet their expectations, especially in metal industry. A close cooperation between the companies and the educational institutions could result in providing suitably trained workers and lower unemployment rates.


Economy and industry

The close down of oil and heavy industry and machine production, then the slow pace realisation of up-to-date structure change efforts hindered the economic development of the region. The improvement of cross-border trade called for new functions in the region of Lenti. Industrial supplier programmes have been launched, especially companies dealing with machine production have become suppliers of other enterprises both within and outside the country. A good example of the phenomenon is two companies in Csesztreg (FEMAT Hungária Ltd., HOFFMAN-CARBON Ltd.), which are the greatest employers of the region, and basically produce components for car factories. Vest-Wood Ltd. in Lenti, EYBL Ltd, Németh-Fa Ltd., LOG Corporation, Zalaerdő Corporation and CREATION Hungary Ltd. and Oiltech Ltd. in Lovászi have a significant market abroad.
Modern, environment-friendly technologies are still employed to a lower extent in the region’s industry, though there are good examples of it.
Sylviculture and timber industry are the determinant economic branches in the area. Lenti is the regions economic and administrative centre, which offers significant potentials for development of economics and attracting investors.
There are larger industrial properties in Lenti and Rédics, though several settlements plan to establish new investments.


Services

The most outstanding representatives of the service sector can be found in industry and commerce, which are basically located in Lenti. Concerning health care the clinic in Lenti provides an almost overall health service, and the recently acquired well-equipped ambulance car improved the emergency service. The 24 hour ambulance service is accessible to anyone, and the permanent duty of G.P.s has also been organised. Chemists are present in the larger settlements, while in smaller villages medicine is delivered by the village warden service. There are 5 nursing homes in the microregion for the elderly, while the Family Assistance Service helps disadvantaged children and families.
Financial services are basically present in the town, there are several banks and savings unions represented here, though financial transactions can be carried out in the larger villages of the microregion as well.
Houses of Culture are operated in the larger settlements and in some of the smaller villages (there are not many cultural programmes in the smaller villages due to the ageing of their population). There are Telecottages with e-Hungary points in most settlements. The most outstanding library and house of culture are located in Lenti.
The House of Tradition opened in the spring of 2006 in Lenti, which is an information point as well as an ethnographic museum. Apart from this information point there are a Tourinform Office and a Zala Volán Travel Agency available for visitors


Agriculture

Agriculture in the microregion, as in other parts of the country, has gone under a significant change. After the closedown of farmers’ co-operatives the majority of the employees continue their previous agricultural activity as independent smallholders, and only some managed to maintain a larger farm of animal husbandry or cultivation. These provide an excellent basis for further development.
Lenti microregion with its large pastures is ideal for animal husbandry, though it has become less significant recently. The properties of the area fit cattle as well as other species, such as goat or mangalica woolpig, etc. Growing crops on good arable lands is much more significant, the most important crops are corn and wheat. Farmers in the region also grow cole-seed, sunflower-seed and pumpkinseed to supply market demands. Growing alternative, non-arable plants might provide great opportunities. Intensive apple plantations have been established near two settlements of the microregion (Alsószenterzsébet és Gutorfölde). There are vine-yards on the hills of the region as a part of the Balaton wine-district (from Rédics and Csörnyeföld to Letenye) producing several excellent wine types.