A safe environment which is sustainable both economically and environmentally supports the births of children in Hungary.

Minister for Innovation and Technology László Palkovics highlighted, from among the economic elements of sustainability, that the deficit of the budget and state finances is low, and for years growth in Hungary has been outstanding also by European standards.

Environmental sustainability is an equally complex system; it includes, among others, the transformation of waste management, the phasing out of carbon technologies, and the fact that by 2030 more than 90 per cent of the country’s electricity generation will become carbon dioxide-free, he added.

Referring to UN data, the Minister stressed that the percentage of those working abroad among persons born in Hungary is low by European standards – it is around 6 per cent –, while in the case of Austria this indicator is 6.7 per cent, and in some countries in Eastern Europe it is as high as 40 per cent.

In his view, it is also thanks to the family support system that the direction of population movement has reversed, and today more people are coming back from Germany than going out. The former, he said, return home with expertise and experience, in investments the percentage of advanced technologies is ever more significant, and according to estimates, Hungary has one of the highest high-tech added value figures in Europe, at around 80 per cent, within domestic production.

A significant percentage of technological development can be associated with the investments of foreign companies, but it is, at the end of the day, owing to the work of those who completed their studies in Hungarian schools and universities, Mr Palkovics said. The Minister pointed out that the government wishes to continue to strengthen the Hungarian innovation environment. As part of this, among others, next year the state grants allocated for research and development activities will increase by 25 per cent, and throughout the country eight Science Parks will be created so that an innovative environment is available for the cooperation of universities, research facilities, factories and businesses, the Minister added.

(MTI)