Hungary is fully committed to comply with the MoU concluded in February this year with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, especially with the clause on gradually reducing the bank tax as of 1 January 2016, Minister for National Economy and EBRD Governor Mihály Varga reiterated following a meeting with EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti in Tbilisi.
The Government has decided on the introduction of the e-card which may combine a number of personal documents in the future, János Lázár announced at today’s session of Government Info. At the press conference reporting on the results of the Wednesday cabinet meeting, the Minister spoke about the pay rise of public administration workers, the reduction of procedural fees, the measures taken with a view to rescuing foreign currency debtors, the new regional development programme, the development of the Paks atomic power station, and the improving demographic indicators.
Resolving issues in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iran is crucial so that NATO is able to effectively focus on the fight against the Islamic State – said Péter Szijjártó Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Antalya on Wednesday.
The First Hungarian Investment Day in Tel Aviv on Wednesday was attended by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade László Szabó and about eighty Israeli businesspeople. The Hungarian Embassy and the Israeli-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Trade organised the event, at which Israeli businesspeople had the chance to acquaint themselves with investment opportunities in Hungary and the advantages of doing business with the country.
In comparison to the prognosis published at the beginning of the year, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development upgraded Hungary’s growth forecast for 2015 by 0.2 percentage points to 2.6 percent of GDP, while the institution predicts 2.3 percent expansion for 2016.
Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar spoke at an event organised by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs entitled “Ukraine: Just Business”. Mr. Magyar said that even before the economic crisis Hungarian-Ukrainian bilateral business relations had not been fully exploited.
On Wednesday the Hungarian government’s delegation at the opening of the Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism was headed by Szabolcs Takács, Minister of State for EU Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministerial Commissioner for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Chairmanship. The opening session was attended by representatives of more than ten thousand Jewish communities, political leaders, diplomats and experts.
Today the European Commission published its European Agenda on Migration aimed at tackling the issue of migration.
The Budget of 2016, drafted in the spirit of calculability, predictability and consistency, is more than purely a financial plan: it is the most important pillar of creating a civic Hungary. It is important to enable every Hungarian to experience financial stability, predictable fiscal management and the effects of economic growth. Next year, everybody will make some progress.
In Q1 2015, Hungary’s GDP was 3.4 percent higher compared to the same period of the previous year, while it was up by 0.6 percent quarter-on-quarter.