It is an outstanding result that, compared with the 2014 record year, Hungary succeeded in achieving an increase in investments in the first half of this year, State Secretary for Economic Regulation Béla Glattfelder said on the public service television news channel M1 in response to the latest data released by the Central Statistical Office.

Important projects were completed in the national economy in the second quarter of the year, the State Secretary said, also highlighting that the total amount invested in Hungary in the first half of the year reached HUF 2,100 billion.

Investments were made in a variety of sectors; both the public sector and the private sector implemented significant investments, with growth rates of 16 and 14 per cent, respectively, Mr Glattfelder said.

The State Secretary reiterated that investments have been on the increase in Hungary for two years. The first quarter of this year was somewhat poorer, but there was a very dynamic increase in the second quarter, he pointed out, adding that investments increased significantly in the first and second quarters of last year as well, and consequently, the benchmark values for measuring this year’s growth were also formidable.

In general, some 40 per cent of investments are implemented in the first half of the year; we may therefore expect the intensification of investments in the second half of this year as well, he said.

We may primarily reckon with an expansion in investments in the processing industry as a few major projects began in the first half of the year, while projects co-funded by the European Union will also be implemented mostly in the second half of the year. These are all boosting factors, the State Secretary said.

Mr Glattfelder stressed that particularly high growth rates were observed in transport and warehousing where there was a some 45 per cent increase in investments.

State Secretary Glattfelder further said that investments at private businesses employing more than 50 workers had increased by 14 per cent, which appears to indicate that businesses view their market prospects in a positive light.

(Ministry for National Economy, MTI)