“The number of export capable Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has multiplied between 2014 and 2018”, Minister of State Levente Magyar from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Tuesday during the foreign trade year-opening conference of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK) in Budapest.

He emphasised that the Hungarian Government is effectively helping SMEs establish a presence on foreign markets. “According to Eximbank data, the number of Hungarian enterprises that made at least 10% of their turnover from exports has increased from 2,000 in 2014, to 10,000-12,000”, he added.

According to Mr. Magyar, despite the favourable progress, the number of exportable Hungarian companies is still below the per capita index of EU member states.

The Minister of State pointed out that the market presence of the Carpathian Basin should be further strengthened. He recalled that in recent years relations have been established with thousands of cross-border Hungarian enterprises in the Carpathian Basin via the Hungarian National Trading House, and the Ministry would like to expand this group by involving non-Hungarian companies.

Mr. Magyar spoke about results achieved within the field of investment promotion. Last year, contracts worth 3.5 billion euros involving the creation of 17.000 new jobs were concluded in Hungary with the help of the National Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), mainly with foreign-owned companies, and this contributes to the competitiveness of Hungarian SMEs.

President of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry László Parragh announced that the MKIK will be the first in the Eastern European region to organise the EuroSkills European championship for talented young professional in Budapest in 2018. The Chamber won the rights to host EuroSkills 2018 in fierce competition with Norway, he added.

(MTI)