At the European summit “we successfully defended” Hungary’s right to border protection. At the same time, the dispute remains, meaning that there are countries which still believe that immigration is a good thing, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Thursday after the Brussels summit of EU leaders.
Wages were raised and taxes were cut significantly in 2017; the pace of economic growth has accelerated and it is having an impact on families, enterprises and every Hungarian, Minister of Finance Mihály Varga said at the parliamentary debate concerning the bill on the execution and discharge of the state budget.
Minister of Innovation and Technology László Palkovics initiated cooperation between the members of the automotive industry on Wednesday at the Automotive international automotive industry and supplier expo, to form a coalition to review the effects of new European pollutant emission regulations on the Hungarian automotive industry and draw up a proposal with relation to the feasibility of target figures.
On Thursday Antal Rogán, the Minister heading the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, told Hungarian news agency MTI that Fidesz and Prime Minister Orbán support the nomination of Manfred Weber, and not Alexander Stubb, as the so-called “Spitzenkandidat” from the European People’s Party (EPP).
Hungary is currently the 48th on the new competitiveness ranking of the World Economic Forum (WEF), well ahead of rank 69 the country had in 2016 and rank 60 in 2017. This improvement reflects the trend reversal in Hungary’s competitiveness, a fact which has come to be acknowledged – after market players and credit rating agencies – also by the majority of research papers.
“The importance of operation between Hungary and Cyprus is gaining importance in view of the fact that, as the debates on the future of the European Union become increasingly intense, cooperation between countries that insist on their national identity, historic traditions and Christian cultural heritage, are becoming increasingly important”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Thursday following talks with Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia.
At the high-level Brussels conference on the European Union budget for the 2021-2027 period, held with the participation of the European Commission’s Vice-President and Commissioner for Budget, Minister of State for Agriculture Zsolt Feldmann stressed that the resources available to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must be maintained at least at their current level to enable the realisation of established goals.
Minister of Innovation and Technology László Palkovics received a delegation of 30 representatives from the US-Hungarian Business Council (USHBC) on 17 October 2018. At the meeting, the Minister briefed the delegation on the most important measures introduced by the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, with relation to which the parties discussed further opportunities for cooperation.
Minister István Nagy received a delegation from the National People’s Congress of China’s Agricultural and Rural Development Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture. During the meeting, the parties discussed current issues relating to agricultural relations between Hungary and China.
On 11-12 October 2018 the Justice and Home Affairs Council held a two-day meeting in Luxembourg. On the home affairs day of the session the Hungarian delegation was led by Interior Minister Sándor Pintér.