“The key to switching into a higher gear in the economy lies in the acceleration of digital transformation and the improvement of competitiveness”, Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga said at the 2nd Regional Digital Summit held in Budapest on 25-26 January 2018.

One pillar of the digital transformation process is the introduction of 5G technology, which can open up new opportunities in every economic field. The Government wants Hungary to be among the very first in the world to introduce this technology, he added.

Hungary’s economic achievements enable us to narrow the economic gap with developed countries through highly skilled workforce and a high added value-producing industrial sector, Mihály Varga pointed out. The Government, therefore, is placing great emphasis on facilitating digital transformation, related infrastructure development, the shaping of attitude and the support of education. Hungary’s re-industrialization programme, the Irinyi Plan, which includes the Industry 4.0 scheme as a major element and the Jedlik Ányos Plan designed for the promotion of e-vehicles, also serves this purpose, the Minister stressed.

Speaking of the Smart City MoU signed on the sidelines of the conference the Minister said that related projects were going to significantly contribute to the wording of smart city partnerships in the CEE region and help the region join the EU’s comprehensive Smart City schemes. Digital transformation is a process that will bring clear advantages for industrial production, he noted, therefore the conference was also focusing on topics such as industrial digitalization in general and intelligent vehicles or e-mobility in particular.

“The CEE countries are nowadays seen as Europe’s growth engine, thus thinking together, evaluating the options of progress and cooperation in digital transformation may prove to be especially rewarding,” he said.

(Ministry for National Economy)